


Snake Scales in the Moonlight

by Betery



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5th year, Depression, Harry Potter Gets a Hug, Harry gets help, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, wild magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26936317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Betery/pseuds/Betery
Summary: The summer before 5th year had brought heat, nightmares, and a magical familiar that has knowledge of magic that Harry he has never seen before. Where his days were filled with a depression-filled haze and nights full of nightmares of the graveyard. A snake with jewel-like scale decides to share magical knowledge to occupy his time instead of worrying over Draco's broken love curse and a lack of letters from his friends.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 21
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [How Do I Feel, Knowing It's You And Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20420543) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account). 



> Hello everyone! I would like to thank the author of the story 'How do I feel, knowing it's you and me' because that piece of creative fiction inspired this one! How Do I feel is completed and a good bittersweet read! I've done my best to write Snake Scales in the Moonlight in a way that fills you in on the important details but reading the other story might help! Either way, I very much hope you enjoy reading this first installment!  
> Update: 1/22/12 I have edited my author's note slightly to keep the anonymity of the original author for How Do I Feel since it is now orphaned!

Harry wasn’t sure if he was alive anymore. His heart beat, his lungs breathed but even the nightmares had stopped making his blood race. It was just another reality in his broken world.

_Trauma_

_Abuse_

Those were words whispered to him and he had to remind himself that despite _knowing_ the words there wasn’t anything he could do to fix it. He was alone with an extended family that hated him with locks on his doors and a cat flap to feed him.

Not that the locks were ever used anymore. They hung on his door as a brutal reminder of the what if's. Despite the threats that Moody had made at the start of the summer.

He was idly holding a razor he had knicked from Duddley’s multi-pack, unscrewing the plastic and getting out 3 more razors for his collection.

What was the point of living a life if everything was only going to be taken away from him? But they couldn’t take away this. The pain that he could feel that reminded him that he wasn’t as dead as he felt.

His eyes were half-lidded as he breathed, the thoughts running at a thousand miles an hour the world around him a blur as he placed the fresh razor at his thigh and he cut. Multiple shallow cuts. The blood dripped thinly and he watched it flow feeling the sting and feeling calmer.

It was a few minutes before the blood clotted and he sighed getting up and going to the bathroom across the hall to clean up. He glanced over at the mirror knowing that a shadow would only remain. It was like Draco looked after because of the spell. Punished for being separated and rewarded for being close.

But this time it was Harry doing it all to himself; it wasn’t a spell making him do it he wanted this. He washed his hands and used toilet paper to clean up his thighs. He looked at the time and saw that it was just passed midnight. He could hear Dudley in his bedroom and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon seemed to be asleep. Which was unusual but suited Harry just fine. He quietly walked down the stairs and towards the front door.

Something like this felt forbidden, reaching for the doorknob and turning it, opening up the house to the darkness outside. It was cooler that night, and there were no clouds to cover the stars or the moon. It was nice. He took a deep breath and stepped out, closing the door behind him. He could’ve turned to cross Ms. Figg’s house but he didn’t feel like going deeper into the suburb. So he turned the other way to the sparse forest on the edge.

It was no forbidden forest but it was preferable over the Acromantia, angry Centaurs and blast ended skrewts. The forest itself was probably no more than an acre but it was peaceful. It was quiet and it wasn’t attacking him outright. The tree’s weren’t very tall and he could still clearly see the moon but if he angled himself just right he couldn’t see the suburb anymore.

_Miceee micee any mice around?_

Harry blinked and looked for the source of the voice, it was low to the ground, but it didn’t sound like a child.

“ _Hello?”_ He called back

_Hello? What a strange greeting. Am I being greeted by a friend or a mouse? Because mice are food._

Okay, so it was probably a snake of some sort. The hiss was a higher pitch when translated in Harry's ear. It was very different from the lower tones of the snake from the zoo, and a much gentler hiss compared to the starving basilisk from the second year.

He knelt onto the ground and decided to entertain this fresh oddity.

_“My name is Harry. I’m not a mouse. I’m hardly a person. Can you come out so I can see you?”_

There was a soft hissing in front of Harry and something just… _appeared_ in front of Harry. Like taking off a cloak it was just there! The snake was black, blending in with the ground but in the moonlight, the black scales glimmered like stones. Pink or green as it slithered with its body coming closer to harry. The eyes of this snake, however, were a bright familiar green.

_It’s been many seasons since a speaker has found me._

The snake slithered even closer and lifted the front of her body to look closer at Harry.

_The speaker looks to be sad. I cannot have a sad speaker, does the speaker have a mouse for me?_

Harry blinked and he looked away.

_“I can’t use magic unless I’m in the wizarding world. I’ll get in trouble. I’m sorry.”_

_Muggles? I don’t see muggles, but it’s alright. I can help you find me a mouse._

The snake placed her head on Harry’s knee and Harry felt a twinge of…something in his chest and he stroked the larger body of the creature. The scales were smooth, when he touched the snake something inside him unraveled a little. Like a string coming loose.

_My kind can help wizards._ The snake hissed with pride, slithering up Harry and curling the upper half around his neck and curling the lower half around his arm. _We’re excellent with helping magic users, and since it’s a full moon- that’s even more power to draw from._

_“But I don’t have my wand.”_ Harry protested the snake huffed.

_You do not need one. I can help. Think of a mouse. A nice juicy squeaky mouse. Think of your magic, the way you use your wand, Think of the moon as a fountain to drink from and when you’re buzzing, command a mouse! It can’t be any harder than blinking out of sight._

Harry sighed and thought about his magic, how it felt to use it. He looked up at the full moon like the snake has asked him too, imagining the moon as some kind of fountain he could drink from. He reached up a bit like he could touch it, which he couldn’t, and tried to think of the moonbeam as the ‘drips’ from the fountain described.

His fingers started buzzing.

It was a soft tingle like his fingers had fallen asleep but it had a feeling to it- a tingle of magic that he had felt only at Hogwarts. He thought harder about holding onto this feeling until his whole hand tingled from the sensation.

The snake hissed in encouragement. Bumping her head against his cheek.

_“Accio Mouse!”_ He hissed and the magic on his fingers dispersed. The forest floor had a nice fat mouse groggy from the summoning and the snake hissed in pleasure, darting for its meal. Harry looked away.

The snake finished after what felt like an hour. During that time harry had practiced a couple of other spells. Levitating a branch, making his palm glow with a Lumos. It was like having a part of himself back that had been locked away for too long.

_The mouse was satisfying Speaker._ The snake hissed and slithered back onto Harry draping herself around his neck. He leaned back against the nearby tree.

_“Do you have a name?”_ He asked her, stroking his hand down her body.

She hissed in a way that sounded like he was thinking, _A speaker from many seasons ago once called me Sidra, he said it was because my scales looked like the stars in the sky._

_“It’s a nice name. Much nicer than mine._ ”

_Names have power. You have the name others call you by, and the name you tell no one else. You may not like the name you have now, but you can always make one for your own purposes._

Not that bad of an idea, but not that alluring of an idea considering Tom Riddle.

_“I don’t have much need for another name right now.”_

_As you wish._ She settled down on Harry and just laid there. The weight of Sidra was soothing.

_“Sidra?”_

_Yes, speaker?_

_“What else do you know about magic?”_

_Many things speakers. So many things to fill up many nights._

Harry hummed still petting her gently.

_If you like, speaker. I can stay and teach you the things even most Wizards have forgotten._

_“You don’t have to.”_

_As long as I have mice and warmth I won’t be bothered._

Harry chuckled, _“You’ll have to hunt most of the time for yourself. I can’t do all the work to feed you._ ”

_I’m a good hunter; I can hunt for the two of us. It’s settled. You’re mine and I’m yours._

Harry hummed in agreements and closed his eyes, and he didn’t see the shinning magic that made a thread between himself and Sidra. The moon seemed to glow a little brighter for just a moment, but it was about to set anyway…so maybe that had something to do with it.

Harry had no idea how he was going to sneak a snake into the Dursley household. The sun was close to rising and he needed to get back before anyone woke up.

_You smell worried_ Sidra observed as he walked back to Number 4 Surrey.

_“My Aunt and Uncle aren’t very…fond of snakes.”_

_You needn’t worry. My kind are very good at staying out of sight._ And just like she had appeared before him her form disappeared despite the fact that he could still feel her weight on his shoulders.

_“That’ll work._ ” Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia haven’t tried to touch him since 3rd year so it should be fine.

He stepped around the paper and quietly walked back up the stairs to his bedroom and laid in his bed to nap for however long he had left until Petunia ‘woke’ him up. It was the weekend so maybe she wouldn’t come get him until , and it was 6 ish.

_“I’m going to try and sleep. There might be a large banging on the door that’ll sound scary. But it’ll be okay.”_

_I will watch over you._

Harry laid on his back and Sidra coiled onto his chest, it was pretty easy to fall into sleep, and even better he wasn’t plagued with nightmares for the first time in weeks.

3 hours isn’t a lot of sleep but even when Aunt Petunia started pounding on the door he felt warm waking up.

“Get up, boy!” She hissed through the door, she dared not to wake up her precious duddykins.

“I’m coming Aunt Petunia!” He called back in an appropriate level.

“No more than five minutes. Don’t make me come back and get you.” She didn’t wait for an affirmative before leaving again.

Harry sighed. “Alright, time to get up.”

_Does she not know your name?_ Came a hiss from his chest and he looked down to see Sidra, who was in fact not a dream, on his chest looking at him intently.

“ _Good morning, Sidra.”_ He deflects. Picking her up and wrapping her around his shoulder, “ _If you want to stay on me you have to remain hidden okay?”_

_Of course, I’m not an amateur._

Harry smiled and he changed into another set of clothes before heading down.

Aunt Petunia was already finishing up making pancake mix and the eggs were already out as was the bacon so Harry grabbed a pan and started cooking. It was a familiar habit and routine that was easy enough to zone out in. He would like cooking more if not for the fact that he never got to enjoy what he made.

He was done with most of the bacon when Aunt Petunia cleared her throat and Harry turned around to see that there were three decently sized pancakes with a small pad of butter on them. With the smallest mug in the house filled with Orange juice.

“Pick _one_ piece of bacon and use no more than two tablespoons of syrup. Finish before Vernon and Dudley wake up.”

He wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and he graciously accepted the gift with thanks and he poured a small drizzle onto the cakes and gratefully ate the meal in less than five minutes.

He washed his dishes and managed to put them up before Vernon came lumbering down and he helped his Aunt set the table.

“Your job is done. Go out and weed the garden.”

“Yes, Aunt Petunia. Morning Uncle Vernon.”

Vernon grumbled and held his hand out for the cup of Coffee that Petunia was already handing him. Harry grabbed the trowel and the ratty gloves he was allowed to wear.

_I thought humans in a nest ate together._

Harry shook his head.

_“Not in this nest. I just cook their food, clean their house, and weed their garden. I’m no one to them.”_

Sidra rearranged herself on Harry, _How can you be no one when you do everything?_

Harry let out a sigh, attacking one particularly nasty weed.

_“Life isn’t fair Sidra. Some…nestmates just don’t get along.”_

_That’s unfortunate. A speaker like you deserves to be happy._

The days past by a little more peacefully with Sidra, a person to speak quietly with when he woke from having nightmares. Someone to vent too when he was allowed out of the house. He practiced the moon-magic thing but it was getting harder to feel the magic at his fingertips.

_The moon goes through phases you silly speaker, getting frustrated will do nothing. It is like a well, sometimes it is full and sometimes it is not. You have your own magic you can rely on to help bridge the gap._

Harry always found it difficult to rely on his magic at the best of times, and for once by using the moon (however that worked) magic was easier. It was practically impossible to use the moon magic during the day so he was sulking under a tree in the small forest away from everyone else.

_There are other wells of magic of course, there is the sun. But the sun provides magic for other purposes than the charms you like._

_“What, does the sun prefer attack spells?”_

_So simple-minded. It’s a transforming medium, it’s good for growing plants and…fire. Fire is easy with the sun._

_“Okay so the Moon is a…well of magic I can draw. So is the sun, don’t tell me water can do the same? And Earth?”_

_Only very special water and earth. Usually, a large body of water is good, and the earth is far trickier._

Harry hummed and looked up at the sky, “ _Today would be so much better with a breeze.”_ There weren’t even any clouds in the sky.

_This could be an excellent practice for sky magic._ Sidra suggested and Harry hummed, but it was so hot he wasn’t sure he could concentrate.

_Sky magic is an overlapping well, it takes from the sun and the earth._

“ _Makes sense. So I just…command the wind?”_

_Intention is the most important part!_ Sidra crawled up Harry and around left hand, his cast hand. _I can help with some channeling_.

Harry hummed again and closed his eyes. Thinking about the warmth on his skin and the coolness of the dirt below him.

Both were ‘wells’ of magic… If he thought enough about it he could feel the familiar tingle of magic, but it was content to remain in its usual form, it wasn’t as willing to build up so he could use his own magic to attempt to make a breeze.

Sidra squeezed gently on his arm and he allowed that comfort to soothe his ego. He wasn’t alone, she could help. So he forced his muscles to relax and looked around for something to focus on. His eyes glanced over the bark of the trees and away from the entrance to Surrey. He settled back onto Sidra and her twinkling scales, her body expanding with her gentle breaths, the soothing weight on his arm.

He watched her breath, relaxing and feeling the tingle of the magic gather on his fingertips. He took another deep breath and magic curled a little more around his fingers. With each deep breath magic curcled around his fingers.

_Ready?_

Harry smiled, _“Ready,”_ He wasn’t sure how he to release the magic, but if it was a kind of physical force…. He imagined his magic like a cannon of air, pulling back and loading the weapon, and pretended that his magic was the bearing ball, what came was a gust, the trees swayed and his hair got into his eyes. Sidra was cackling head up in the air feeling the wind across her…sclaes?

_I have a strong speaker indeed!_

\--

Having good days was nice, and he had been having really nice days with Sidra around. But no matter how much magic you had or what friends you could confide in nightmares still came.

It held him captive. Werewolves in a terribly long maze. Letter with words he couldn’t read and a cup with a glow like a will O’ the wisp and he knew if he grabbed it then nothing would be the same. He didn’t know how but there was Cedric breathless and excited. So they grabbed the goblet together.

“Cedric.” Harry warned looking around the graveyard, but he was too far away.

“Is this another part of the tournament?” He asked, but the fear in his voice said otherwise.

“ _Kill the spare!_ ” Hissed a wretchedly horrible familiar voice, and he tried to get to Cedric before the flash of green light. He was never fast enough.

He woke up with a shout, and sweat soaking into his bedsheet and singular blanket that was tangled around his legs.

Was it a trap? Was he hexed? His breathing was short and he couldn’t get his bearings.

_Speaker?_ Sidra asked and Harry tried to get a lung full of air to tell her he was okay but he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs to assure her.

_Speaker you smell scared. Did you have sleeping images?_

Harry wanted to laugh at the cute idea of calling his nightmares _sleeping images._ But all that came out was a wet huff of air. He nodded instead and tried to force himself large calming breaths focusing on her twinkling scale and breathing body. She settled herself on his lap after Harry untangled the sheets from his legs and straightened them out.

_Sleeping images aren’t real. Reflections maybe, but they can’t bring you harm._ She nosed into his hand and he smiled a little at the sureness of her voice.

_“And where did you learn that?”_ He asked and Sidra looked up at him.

_My last speaker told me all sorts of things about Speakers and Not Speakers. He was a good wizard and a Good speaker._

_“You mentioned him before.”_

Sidra bopped her head up and down, _The other speakers and Not speakers called him Adafrid. Well, his not-enemies called him Adafrid. He always made me warm rocks and we used to play hide and hiss._

_“What’s Hide and Hiss?”_

_One hides, sometimes even moving if we were feeling michevious! And you would have to hiss every once in a while. I held the record for best hide and hisser!_

Harry rubbed Sidra just behind her head, _“Of course, I’m sure Adafrid wouldn’t of had it any other way.”_

Playful, affectionate. It was almost too similar to how Draco had been in fourth year. He sighed leaning back against his bed, staring at the ceiling and counting the cracks.

_I take it Speaker that you also had an Adafrid?_

“ _Hm?”_

_A…not-enemy before you met me._

Harry took a sharp inhale of breath. He squeezed his eyes shut when they started to burn. He Took a deeper breath and let it out slow. When Harry opened his eyes, Sidra was looking at him, expectantly but with no judgment.

“ _I did. But he wasn’t really mine.”_

_I don’t understand. How can you have someone but not have them?_

Harry took a deep breath, closing his eyes a little, thinking back to the kiss just after their Dance at the Yule Ball. How their kiss had tasted like hickory smoke and burnt rose petals.

“ _He was…possessed, by a terrible spell that turned him into someone he wasn’t.”_

_That sounds horrible._

“ _It is. But what’s more horrible is that in the end, even though I knew it wasn’t real… I really did love him.”_ And that’s what broke the illusion. That’s what took Malfoy away from him. But it never could have lasted right? They would have had to separate for summer anyway. He probably would’ve died. There’s no way his parents would’ve let him over to their place or vice versa.

_Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all._ Sidra hissed softly.

_“I didn’t know you knew poetry.”_

_Adafrid was a scholar, and the poem was new and riveting for him. He said the words were heavy and in need of…slicing._

_“Dissecting? “_

_Yes. Possibly. I would rather swallow it whole though. Chewing is a waste of time let alone slicing._

Harry smiled and pet Sidra, _“As a speaker who cannot unhinge his jaw I’ll stick with slicing and then chewing my food.”_

_We all have our own burdens to bear._

He chuckled a little bit and Sidra made this trilling hiss of pleasure. Harry looked back up at the ceiling and started counting the crack again, but as a way to pass the time in a warmer place than before.


	2. The Fat Chameleon and Dementors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last thing Harry needs that summer is for everyone to try and kill him. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's the second installment! And only two weeks until spooky day!!  
> Please take note of the tags! It was pretty obvious in the first chapter but self-harm will be mentioned again in the contents of this chapter! It's a mention and implication, but please take care of yourselves!

The heat was absolutely retched, even as the sun was setting. All the little kids on the playground had gone home already, so a swing was open for him to get even a hint of a breeze. Occasionally he would curse the heat when he touched any of the metal he hadn't managed to shelter.

_I hear Australia is worse._

“ _I will never be going to Australia_.” He mumbled to Sidra who was invisible around his neck and she made a mumbling sound.

“Who you talking to Potter?” Came Dudley’s lumbering slurs, probably affected by the heat and he was flanked by other kids from the neighborhood.

Diets and exercises have made Dudley mad with superiority, he’s gathered a group of cronies from practically three neighborhoods over in a gang, but at the center, it was Dudley and Piers wasn’t it? Couldn’t ever resist a game of _Harry Hunting._

Harry got up from the swing, “I wasn’t talking to you, that’s for sure.”

Dudley’s distant expression sharpened just a hair like his brain cells were trying to work, but the heat was cooking them faster than he could use them; however, Piers was able to pick up the slack.

“Oi, you think you can talk to us like that Potter? Dudley here’s been the wrestling champ of Smelting’s two years running. I would watch your tone.”

Harry sighed and got up, “I don’t want to deal with this. I’m going back, Aunt Petunia wanted me to cook supper.”

He tried to move past them but Dudley pushed him back, “Oi! Don’t you try and piss around and slink out of the way- you’ve been acting freakish. Crying about at night at all hours. ‘Cedric not Cedric’” Dudley whimpered contorting his face into a frown and fake crying with snivelling noises. Wipping away fake tears.

“Who’s Cedric then, eh? You’re boyfriend?”

Harry wanted to fight, he wanted to feel angry but there was no fight to reach for.

“He’s dead.” He said, his hands itch to do something, anything.

“The fuck?” Someone in the back cursed and Harry shrugged.

Dudley stared down Harry with wide eyes and an open mouth. “So, what’re you cursed or what?”

Harry blinked, “What?”

Dudley smiled, “First your parents and now your boyfriend? I’d keep away you lot. He’s got a death curse on ‘im. Freakish potter with a curse that makes everyone who loves him die. That’s why my Mum and Dad keep him arms-length.”

Harry clenched his jaw. “Lay off Dudley, go pick on someone else.”

“What? Can’t take the truth there Potty?”

“I’m not cursed.”

“Tell that to your dead parents and boyfriend.”

Harry didn’t think, he doesn’t remember moving but he does remember the crack of the impact of his fist on Dudley’s face. He remembers the silence of everyone and Dudley’s stunned expression afterward.

“You’re dead.”

Harry ran.

One foot in front of the other quickly quickly quickly.

He could hear Dudley and his gang lumbering behind him, but he knew with experience he could out run Dudley and Piers, but the rest of the gang? He had no idea, all he could do was keep on going. Get away- far away so he wouldn’t get his face smashed in.

No one in that group was particularly fit, so Harry was sure he could give them the slip. Damn if only he could hide like Sidra!

_You’re running much faster than those Not Speakers!_

Good to know, so he kept pushing one leg in front of the other. At some point, everyone else was going to give up but Dudley was much more stubborn, and he had Piers to act as moral support and an ego booster. It was rapidly getting darker and he was getting further away from the suburb.

There was a tunnel up ahead that he knew that if he could get on the other side he could find a few hiding spots. Harry could see the end, slipping away was just within his reach but his foot caught on something and he fell, he tried to not hurt Sidra but she was flung off him with the force of it and it wasn’t nearly long enough for Harry to recover when he heard the heavy steps of Dudley behind him.

“You think you could run from me? You’ve got another thing coming, Freak!” His breathing was hard and his steps were slower since he thought he had the advantage.

Harry’s lungs were burning and he was looking around for Sidra but he couldn’t see her, _“Sidra?”_ He hissed as quietly as he could but the tunnel took that sound and amped it up to 11.

“You speaking in tongues, freak? Finally, lost it have you? You gonna use your magic on me? We both know what’ll happen if you do that why I-“

The air, which had been hot and all-consuming washed away in a gust. In the wake of the cold the lights of the tunnel burnt out one by one, followed by a miasma of dread. A feeling that settled low in the gut and refused to leave. Harry knew this feeling. He knew it well.

“Dudley get out of here!” He shouted, scrambling to his feet.

“What?”

“It’s magic! You don’t wanna be here when the Deme-“

But it was too late, a being clothed in raged torn clothes flew into view, obscuring the view behind it. Harry tried to keep his breathing even, it fed on fear. He had faced worse before he could do this. Harry barely turned his face to Dudley and tried to convey ‘stay calm’ to him but Dudley either didn’t see or didn’t care, he was white as a hospital sheet and sweating like a pig trembling from head toe.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?” He shouted lifting up his fists like he could punch it to death.

Harry tried to shout a warning this time but the Dementor had found its target and rushed forward, all 10 feet of it pushed Harry to the side and grabbed Dudley by the throat pinning him to the stone wall of the tunnel.

Dudley was screaming and the Dementor leaning in, soaking up the fear, drowning out any happiness in his cousin. Harry’s heart was pounding and needed to act NOW. But he didn’t have his wand, he couldn’t even cast a Patronus!

 _Speaker!_ Sidra shouted. Harry turned and reached out for Sidra and she wrapped around his hand. With his outstretched hand and adrenaline, he could feel his fingers tingling and itching with magic. The moon wasn’t full, but he didn’t need it to be. Sidra was on his side, all he needed was a happy memory. Any memory He closed his eyes and searched his thoughts.

When he used magic without a wand. When he found Sidra, when he used magic _with_ Sidra. It had to be enough!

“ _Expecto Patronum!”_ He hissed and the Stag came to life at the entrance of the tunnel. The light coming from the stag paired with the moon tight it almost looked full.

It was like the stag was connected to his fingers and with a shout he commanded his patronus with a wave of his arm at the Dementor. _Away away get it away_ he chanted in his mind and the Patronus followed his command rearing its head and bolting towards Dementor antlers down to pierce its target.

The dementor screeched and attempted to stand its ground but it was pushed aside by the Patronus. Dudley slumped to the ground in a mumbling heap.

It screeched again and was pushed back again. The pursuit didn’t stop until the dementor was running with the stag closely behind.

Silence and warmth leached back into the area. Harry was breathing hard from exertion from his magic and the fear that was finally settling in. He walked over to Dudley and tried to get his attention.

“Dudley? That was a dementor; we need to get you home and some chocolate in you. I’m sorry you had to deal with that, but you’ll be okay.” He hoped so anyway. Dudley was a muggle, and he didn’t know what exactly happened when a dementor leached off of a muggle, but it couldn’t be good. By the distant look in Dudley’s eyes and his slack jaw with his mouth mouthing words that didn’t make sense.

“I’ve never seen wandless magic like that in my lifetime," Harry jumped and he turned around to see who it was, and saw a very familiary lace shawl across a short woman's shoulder and she was holding her old crocodile skin hand bag, "Quite a feat that was. You best be getting him home Harry.” He knew that voice. His childhood babysitter.

“Mrs. Figg?” He asked and she tottered forward her buckled flats clicking onto the pavement as she walked closer.

“Yes Harry, and you need to get going. You never know if another one of those Dementors will come along in times like these.” Voldemort then.

“Right. I’m sorry but does that mean you’re…?”

“Magical?" She chuckled to herself, "No. I’m a squip, Harry.”

Like Filch. He almost felt pity. Mrs. Figg wasn't the most pleasnt around with all her pets and smelly house but she at least was more decent a person than Filch. 

“But how do you-“

“Dumbledore sent me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you were safe. Now off you go!”

Harry nodded and he helped Dudley up and they limped their way back to number 4.

_That old lady smelled like cats. Think any of them are small enough to eat?_

Harry chuckled, “ _Sorry Sidra, I don’t think so, she keeps them pretty fat and they’re four times the size of your head.”_

_Fat is good. Though they might be difficult to swallow._

“ _Let’s stick with the mice._ ”

Sidra hissed in reluctant agreement and they continued down their way. Dudley kept mumbling and Harry assured him it was going to be fine. He had to keep up the charade that he knew that everything was going to be okay because if it dropped for even a moment his Aunt and Uncle were going to _kill_ him. Or worse. He shivered. Being stuck in his room with the cat flap as his only means of getting food was not a life he wanted to go back to.

 _Abuse_ a familiar voice pointed out in his head but he shook it away. Just because it had a name now didn’t mean he could stop it. Right now the only thing he could do was face the music and hope he could come out of it unscathed.

Number 4 came into view and he looked back at the moon, the crescent shining in the cloudless sky. He nodded in its direction in thanks and headed inside readying himself for whatever was going to happen.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were sitting in the living room and they didn’t look happy. Aunt Petunia’s face was pinched in a way that Harry knew wasn’t about him, and Uncle Vernon looked uninterested in general and was probably only awake for Petunia.

When they saw that Harry was the only thing keeping Dudley up on his two feet both of them turned white as sheets and Pentunia cried out and Harry handed off his cousin to more caring hands.

“What happened!” Vernon demanded getting up and in Harry’s face, Vernon’s face was quickly changing color.

“We got attacked by a Dementor! I managed to-“

“A _demon?_ You let Dudley get attacked by a DEMON?” He shouted and Harry shook his head.

“Not a demon- a _Dementor_ but I managed to chase it off before it could hurt Dudley-“

“He’s _already_ hurt!” Petunia cried, handing her son a rubbish bin which Dudley used to his advantage to empty his stomach. Harry quietly thanked his cousin for giving him the mercy of not puking on him.

“Yeah he got a little turned around but if you give him some chocolate and rest I’m sure he’s be-“

 _“Fine?_ ” Vernon cut in, his face now reaching the purple stage. “I swear if you were going to say _fine_ I am going to-“

“Vernon _please._ ” Petunia wailed, “We have to think about Dudley!”

“Right. Right, into the car- except you boy you’re staying _here_ and _away_ from Dudley you- FREAK!” And he pushed Harry aside and they bumbled into the car and closed the door behind them leaving Harry behind.

Harry held his breath for as long as he could waiting for the other shoe to drop. Aunt Petunia to come in and smack him with a frying pan or Vernon to come in and as a practice dummy for boxing.

But they didn’t come back.

Harry collapsed to his knee’s and his shoulders shook and his hands trembled and he wasn’t even sure if Sidra was still on him

_Speaker? Are you okay?_

“ _No. No I- dementors really, REALLY freak me out paired with…everything else.”_ Covered his face with a hand trying to ground himself.

_Your nest mates? They were very rude. I wanted to bite the fat chameleon._

Harry snorted and Sidra pressed her snout again his face.

_Good, I like it when you make the happy noises._

Harry sighed.

_“Well, I suppose I can heat up the leftovers in the back of the fridge. They’ve usually forgotten about them now.”_

Sidra hissed in agreement and Harry stroked down her back and he stood up. It turned out there was some baked lemon pepper fish and a bowl of wilted salad in the back that he remembered from about two weeks ago. He threw away the salad and looked for more leftovers and found a small helping of mashed potatoes. Alright, that would do it. He put them on a plate put the cover over it and placed it in the microwave and set the time too cook.

He waited in silence, but a more peaceful silence with the Dursley’s out of the house and he relished these scant moments. It would be so nice to live in a house and cook whatever you want without the worry of being yelled at or locked in his room without access to the toilet.

The food finished heating and he grabbed a fork and ate. It wasn’t nearly as good as it being fresh but something was better than nothing. He cleaned his plate and hand-washed the dishes then dried them before putting them back exactly where he found them. That was a good meal and now he could go to his room and relax for once.

From the front doorway, there was a _fwip_ and Harry’s sort of calm stomach dropped to his shoes. That was the mail flap. He sucked in a break and slowly headed down the hallway, slowly making his way and hoping it was the wind that caused the noise but no. On the welcome mat, there was a cream envelope with a familiar wax seal on it. He picked it up with trembling hands.

_Dear Harry,_

_I know this letter is coming to you at a time of great surprise. But I heard from Ms. Figg that you performed an astonishing level of wild wandless magic to fend off a rogue Dementor in front of your muggle cousin, Dudley. This puts me in a difficult position because I am proud of you for defending yourself and disturbed that you’ve mastered an art very difficult for children. Please do not take this as an excuse to use magic willy nilly because if you are caught using wandless wild magic in front of muggles by the ministry there is nothing I can do to protect you from any sentence they place on you._

_Take care and think wisely about your future actions._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry’s heart was in his throat and his stomach in his vision became red. He crumpled the letter and he stomped up the stairs and he tore it to pieces before letting them fall into his pitiful cracked rubbish bin. His breathing was hard and he wanted to yell to kick and scream. He finally had something good in his life and already people were trying to take it away from him!

But he couldn’t afford to be angry. He rubbed at his face and his fingers itched along with his thighs.

“ _I’m going to go shower Sidra, you can stay on me bed in the meantime.”_ And he grabbed one of his razors from his nightstand and his only set of pajamas (which were really just an old top and shorts from Dudley that were too small for him from a birthday many years ago).

Harry comes back to the room with aching thighs and his breathing even. He puts the cleaned razor away and he gently got into bed. Sidra crawled onto him. He adjusted himself on his back and Sidra watched him with her large unblinking eyes.

_You were away for a long time._

Harry nodded, _“It was my first hot shower in almost three full moons.”_

_You do not shed your skin. So you must scrub the dirt off often. Unlike me, who sheds my skin once every couple of moons or so._

_"Yup.”_ Agreed and closed his eyes.

_Your nestmates are awful._

“ _They could be worse._ ”

_I do not want to imagine that._

Harry agreed and just let himself be soothed to sleep with the feeling of Sidra’s weight and the pulsing marks on his legs.

He woke up the next morning to a car door slamming. The front door slammed and large harsh footsteps marched their way up the stairs.

Harry’s heart spiked in speed and he managed to fling himself out of bed and backed up against the window. The door slammed open with Vernon’s purple face.

“OUT. I want you OUT of this house!” Vernon shouted and Harry tried to keep his breathing calm.

“But where would I go? Dumbledore-“

“To HELL with that freak! Dudley had gone through SHOCK. The doctors are keeping him another night just to make sure he won’t hurt himself! I have had enough of you this summer! Hissing when no one is there, freaky magic, you ruining EVERYTHING for my family!” Veron got closer and crowded up into Harry’s face. “You will LEAVE and I don’t want to see your freakish face until next summer boy!”

Vernon grabbed harry by the collar of his shirt and dragged him down the stairs and threw Harry down the last couple. He didn’t fall but his ankle twisted in a god awful way.

“I unlocked the cupboard. You have 10 minutes to get out!” And he marched back upstairs to the bedroom and slammed the door.

Harry’s quickly strode up the stairs and he started collecting his things as quickly as he could. The things in his floorboard the little amounts of muggle clothes he had. His wand. He had everything he needed and he skipped steps on the way down to gather his trunk and owl cage for Hedwig.

His breath was coming short. His thoughts coming too quickly to make sense of much of anything other than the main goal: get out of the house as quickly as possible.

He fled No.4 before Vernon even made his way back down. He ran to the small forest Vernon wouldn’t look for him there.

 _“Where do I go? What do I do?”_ He hissed and Sidra rubbed her head against his face.

_I know a place, Harry. Speakers deserve good nests. I know a Speaker nest that you can use._

Harry nodded he listened and felt her heartbeat and he pet her to soothe himself.

_“How do we get there?”_

_We must summon the nauseating metal beast.”_

_“Metal…beast? You mean the Knight bus?”_

_Yes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest, Sidra is the cutest to write for cause she's an old soul with such a cute way of saying things. See you all in the next installment!


	3. Cherub Statues and Wizard Houses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry reaches castle Arundel, and makes his way to Adafri'd old home!

Harry walked to a deserted section of the neighborhood by the road as Sidra filled him in with the location of where to go. A castle in South Downs National park had a trail nearby that would lead him on the right path to the cottage 

Near some houses that were evicted for one reason or another and hadn’t been sold yet. He rifled through his trunk for his change bag that had his leftover wizarding money in it. He closed everything up when he had it. Harry took a deep breath and with his wand cast a Lumos swiping up. No muggle around to see this.

Sure enough, In a blur the Knight Bus appeared. Seeing it in the light the paint on it looked a bit fresh and just as purple as the light time. Stanley was waiting and he droned off his spiel welcoming the witch or wizard in need and Harry stood their patiently.

“-so we will take you where you need to go!” He looked up and his red rimmed eyes blinked taking in the sighy of harry. Stanley’s hat still didn’t fit properly light the rest of his baggy clothes but he had haven recently at least.

“’Ave we met before?”

“Yes. I need you to get me as close to Arundel Castle as you can, please.”

“In South Down's?” Stanley clarified already booking a ticket.

“Yeah.”

“Going sight seeing then? I hear it’s beautiful this time of year.” It was stale small talk and Harry wasn’t sure if Stanley actually mean it but he finally pulled up the ticket.

“One galleon and seven sickles please.”

Harry fished out the money and handed it over and in return he got the ticket.

“Please take a seat and wait till your stop is called. You may ask for refreshments but we have a right to refuse you or make you pay more than you ought to- so no smart mouthing!” He turned around and shouted something at the bus driver and Harry had just barely managed to take a seat when the bus took off.

It was just as bumpy during the day at it was at night. This difference was that it wasn't as packed with beds on wheels. Those were stored elsewhere or transfigured into the booth seats that Harry was sitting in.

_I hate the metal beast_ Sidra hissed and she really did look sick. Ready to puke up the mouth that Harry had summoned for her just that morning.

_“Hold on a little longer. The knight bus is usually quick to get to where we need to go.”_

Sidra didn’t seem convinced and the ride continued. Stanley did come by with some bottled water and crumpled muggle crisps. Harry did pay for them (not too badly price either to his surprise) and he started sipping and nibbling. Not too much because this was genuinely like sitting on a roller coaster and actually eating food under these conditions could possibly spell disaster that he definitely wanted to avoid.

He dug out his transfiguration book and started re-reading the section on 7 main Principles which was boring but familiar and something to do.

He stopped reading at halfway through the second principle feeling the stuff in his stomach sloshing back and forth uncomfortably. Looking out the window helped but it wasn’t much better. He could see trees, so they must be getting close.

Sure enough, a castle pulled into view and the buss stopped about a mile out. “Castle Arundel!” Stanley announced and Harry stood up and got his things. When he got off there no other people around. He took a deep breath waved Stanley good bye. Stanley tipped his hat walked back into the bus shouting and the bus sped off in a blur of purple.

_“Alright. Let’s find that mansion._ ” He hissed to Sidra who had crawled into the grass for a moment to herself.

_Yess. We must first walk to the castle. There will be a trail that goes into the forests guarded by an cherub statue. You need to gain the favor to the trail gurdian._

Harry nodded and started walking.

_“And what exactly do I tell people if they ask about my trunk?”_

Sidra hissed in thought, _Who cares? Your business is yours. Say your going camping. Non-Magical-Speakers love camping._

Harry hummed at that and as they got closer the amount of people around got a little thicker. He managed to get to the gardens a little surprised about how well the gardens were being upkept but kept moving forward giving occasionally looking at the flowers and cropped hedges.

Even in the blistering heat people seemed to be enjoying themselves, which was a lot better than the sullen wilted messes that Privet Drive would leave behind. Seeing the laughing kids and smiling adults and water being freely exchanged was a nice change of pace.

Partway through, Sidra got tired and Harry picked her up. He looked over at the main keep of the castle. The stone setup of the building made him a little wistful for Hogwarts. The structures had similar drum towers that Hogwarts had and honestly Harry hadn’t ever been to a proper castle before then. Harry wondered how much work actually went into upkeeping this place, especially with no magic. This would make for a great Muggle Studies field trip. He might suggest it to the professor when he got back in September.

Harry kept an eye out and eventually found the statue that Sidra had mentioned. The cherub was holding a snake in its hand, and the snake looked like it was keeping careful watch for something. The muggles didn’t seem to be too concerned with it, passing it by as though…they didn’t even see it at all.

Harry got closer and like an automatic door the snake neck moved when he got within a closer distance.

_Does the speaker want access?_ The snake hissed, pointing it’s carved head to Sidra.

_He does._

The snake nodded and looked at Harry, _Does the speaker have an offering of worth?_

Harry looked at Sidra how was he supposed to respond? Sidra looked at him, and she curled her way up his arm. Oh. Oh _magic._

Harry thought about the sun beating down on his neck, about the rush of freedom at being away from the Dursleys and he wanted to make a light, a small light that would be comforting. He felt the magic curling and simmering in his hand and he closed his fist.

_Lumos_ he cast and open his hand and inside was a soft glowing ball of magic. He held his palm up to the snake and it opened his maw and swallowed the ball whole.

The eye's glimmeres with the yellow light of the spell and it reset it jaw with a wide yawn. 

_It has been a long time since I’ve tasted founders magic._ The snake hissed, pleased. _You may enter._

And a stone path glittered to life entering the forest heading to the north.

The walk was leisurely and pleasant thanks to the shade of the trees. Harry also suspected it probably had something to do with the stone path. There were these circles carved into them looked exactly the same. Maybe Hermione would know what their purpose was meant for. Maybe he could send her a letter about it.

Except.

Neither Ron nor Hermione had responded to any of his letters. So, sending any more wouldn’t be worth it. Not that he had Hedwig anyway.

Sidra was hissing to herself, it almost sounded like a song. _“You seem happy.”_ He pointed out and she bobbed her head in agreement.

_Speaker Adafrid had very strong magic! I can feel it even from this distance! It should be soon._

The further into the forest they walked the more Harry saw the cherub snake statues. None of them asked for an offering and none of them spoke to Harry. Which was fine with him, talking to more stone snakes wasn’t on his to do list and he didn’t want to be slowed down by talking to all of the statues.

Adafrid must have been very wealthy for all of these statues, especially all the snake motifs. Hopefully the house itself wasn’t too pretentious.

Eventually the path lead to a gate, the front gate presumably not too large but all enough to deter anyone from climbing over. However behind the gate there only seemed to be a further expanse of forest. Probably more protective magic, similar to Hogwarts. Magical pressure weighed on Harry more and more as he walked closer to the gate. Like TV static but with more fire behind it than pixels on the screen, the coil of magic was large light a looming storm on the horizon. Harry reached out in front of him and gently placed his palm on the metal.

The buzz that had once been soft came alive and burst across his hand and crawled up his arm. He held his breath and soon all of him was buzzing from head to foot until something clicked, and the gate swung inward silently. And the house hidden behind the magic dispersed, revealing the house behind it.

It was two stories as far as harry could tell, and it had one round tower on the side. The grass and trees around the house had grown out of control, the entrance had been taken over by tall weeds and grass.

_It has been long. Such a long time since I’ve last been here._ Sidra hissed, almost sadly as she waded through the brush to get to the front entrance.

“ _You said many moons…but this feel like years’ worth of moons to me.”_

Sidra bobbed her head sadly and placed her head on Harry’s shoulder. Harry smiled at her, and gently pet her. “ _We can try and get this all sorted. I’m sure that’s what Adafrid would’ve wanted.”_

_Fixing would be nice._ Sidra agreed as they reached the stairs that lead up to the front door.

_“Ready?”_ Harry asked and Sidra nodded. Harry opened the door.

The inside of Adafrid’s home was warm, but no fire was lit and nothing seemed to be broken or moved but there was a light layer of dust over most of the surfaces. It was sensibly decorated, no garish colors, there were bookshelves of books and the occasional treasure of personal desire. An ornate set of candles, a grandfather clock by the fireplace.

The floors were made of wood, but there were rugs under the furniture. Harry walked in and all a chandelier, which seemed small to harry lit up and the glass around its candles refracted the light just so that allowed the room to be lit to a desirable level.

“The spellwork is amazing.” Harry said, “I wonder how he got the lights to do that.”

_It wasn’t too difficult. Since he had that fixture commissioned from Mongolia._ Sidra hissed and looked around.

_I want to see the study. It’s that door near the back._ Harry nodded and walked to the door, opening it with little difficulty and pushed it open to reveal the contents within. Two candles lit the room nicely and Sidra hissed.

_Adafrid’s wand!! His wand is still here!!_ She hissed as Harry walked closer to take in the contents ontop of the desk and sure enough there was a wand, it was almost as long as Harry’s holly wand but it looked more elegant, it had a handle that looked carved specifically to hold and at the based appeared to be a stone embedded in the base of the handle. Sidra crawled off of harry and onto the desk circled the wand, flicking her tongue.

_It still tastes of his magic._ She hissed wistfully.

_“I’m sure he’s grateful that you came back._ ” Harry reached out and pet Sidra’s body, _“I don’t know much about the wizarding afterlife. May I ask…how did he die? Do you know?”_

Sidra hissed, it was a hiss that was lonely, still mourning and filled with grief, _“It was an illness. In his bones… he couldn’t eat, was always in pain and I begged him to go to a healer in France. It was the only place he could go. We went by floo. The medicine non-speakers couldn’t help. Only keep him comfortable. I was there when his heart went quiet, when his chest became still with no breath. The not speakers didn’t let me stay. One of them took me back home, and released me in the gardens.”_

Sidra’s eyes became distant, she couldn’t shed any tears but Harry understood that feeling. Loosing someone when it was out of your control. He had just found his godfather before he had to run away.

_“Sidra…May I move the wand? We can put it on the mantle above the fireplace, where we can see it together._ ”

Sidra perked a little at that, _I would like that._

Harry reached out and gently grasped the white and grey stripped wood. And warmth travelled up his arm, it kept going but stopped at his shoulder and Harry wide-eyed stood still.

_“Sidra. Do you feel that?”_

_I do. Would you- could you try casting a spell? A small, not particularly destructive spell?_

Harry gulped and gingerly turned away from anything too breakable. Having a little light couldn’t be to destructive could it?

Harry took a deep breath and waved the new wand gently, “Lumos.” And balls of light popped out of the end of the wand! They just floated and glowed happily like they were always meant to be there.

Harry giggled.

_“Sidra, I- the wand-“_

_What a powerful Speaker indeed! I- if I could I might shed the eye water. But I cannot, but if I could I would be!_

Harry wanted to cry himself because _two wands?_ Two wands who accepted him and one of them wasn’t attached to a homicidal maniac! Instead it was attached to someone Sidra cared about deeply. And they were in his house. A house that…had let him in because his magic tasted like ‘founders magic’.

And Adafrid was a speaker. And Harry is a speaker.

“Oh Merlin’s tits.”

_Language._ Sidra chided.

Harry gulped and gingerly set the wand back down. The memories of second year crawling under his skin. _“Sidra….do you know if there’s a uh, magical family tree or something that Adafrid had?”_

_I don’t know. It might be in the Library._

_“Right okay let’s go take a look.”_ Harry turned around to leave, but Sidra didn’t climb onto him, she was twisted in an aggressive S shape starring at him from beside the wand.

_Why are you scared of the wand?_

_“I’m not.”_ He protested.

_You smell scared. Adafrid’s wand accepted you! It’s a joyous occasion when a wand chooses a new speaker._

Harry’s chest got tight, _“Sidra my past with speakers is complicated. The last speaker I met tried to kill me, and most speakers in this country are related.”_

Sidra didn’t relax, ' _Just because you are nestmates doesn’t mean you are going to like them' correct? The same applies here! Adafrid is nothing like whatever speaker you knew. Adafrid was a GOOD speaker. Stop disrespecting his memory and pick up his wand!_

The way she hissed and her tensed up body it was so strange to see and Harry felt compelled to follow her command and picked it up. While his hand was close to the desk she climbed up his arm, but in a way that made it look like she wasn’t really crawling onto _Harry_ rather, a vehicle to give her better transportation and once she had situated herself onto Harry’s shoulders she moved her head into view of his face and looked him squarely in the eye.

_Can you feel the magic from the wand?_

Harry frowned and looked at the wand, “ _I don’t understand-“_

_A wand has a magical core, and this particular wand will have a ghost impression of Adafrid’s magic, Harry. Just like with moon magic, reach out and feel what is there with your own. I can help. A little.”_ An she settled further and Harry felt the familiar flutter of her magic helping Harry funnel his, but instead of funneling it to use, it was opening up a part of himself that felt too vulnerable to have in the open.

His breath caught in his throat and Sidra hissed, but it was low, and soothing and she bobbed her head.

_There is nothing to fear, Harry. Magic such as this cannot harm._

It was comforting, if only to an extent, but he looked at the wand. Adafrid’s wand. A wizards wand long since passed.

Despite Harry’s initial aversion the wand was quite friendly to hold, and patient as well. After Harry casting the Lumos it wasn’t too excited and didn’t seem insulted when Harry had tried to back away from it. It was like it was waiting.

Like with the moon he tried to imagine the magic of this wand like a pool he wanted to touch to get a feel for the ‘water’. It was cool, the magic. Like rain on a hot day, and it felt welcoming. Occasionally pulsing, like a heartbeat. The magic certainly felt pleased.

This was nothing like the cutting burning agony of the magic he had felt from Voldemort in the graveyard.

_“It’s soft.”_ He whispers and Sidra bobs her head in agreement.

_Adafrid was a potions maker. His magic needed to be calm if he wanted his recipes to turn out well. He was well mannered and kind. His temper was difficult to break, but his wand served him well in moments of need. It can serve you well too, Harry._

_“What about my holly wand?”_

Sidra crawled up to Harry’s shoulder, _A good wizard has more than one Adafrid said. The wand you hold is a commission from France for example, Adafrid took his school wand with him to the hospital before he passed to be buried with it._

_“I didn’t know that was a wizard custom.”_

_There’s much to learn, there are so many fuddy duddy rules. Adafrid might have a book or two about it in the library as well as a family tree you wanted to look for earlier._

Harry hummed and he looked at the wand and he looked at the crytal embedded in the wood.

_“Yeah. Let’s go.”_ He held the wand still, he didn’t have a holster or anything for it and there was no way he was putting it down so soon after having avoided Sidra’s wrath. Digging around for a holster would have to go on his to do list along with dusting and gardening a bit to clear up the path to the gate.

His summer certainly had taken a turn from chores for a home he didn’t care about full of people who didn’t care about him to having to do chores for himself so the house that he lives in isn’t in such a bad state.

_“So, where’s the library?”_

_At the end of that hall._ Sidra pointed with her head and Harry nodded.

“ _To the hallway.”_

There weren’t many images to represent whoever lived here, pictures, paintings or otherwise. However there were some nice paintings of scenery’s where the tree’s drifted in the wind or animals shifted in the frame.

The hallway had three doors, two at the front and one at the back of the hall. With a deep breath he walks down the hall and the door at the back the door was ornate and taller than the others. There were carvings in the door and the handle was a lever type handle that had filigree on it and unlike the rest of the house, there was no dust.

His hand trembled a little and he lifted his right hand, his free hand, and he pressed the knob down revealing the room inside. It had two sides it both had cabinets built into the walls and it was all made from a warm toned wood, at the back was a window that outlook some of the property. Three window panes at the back, they looked like they could swing open but there were vines over the windows keeping them sealed shut.

The room was wide and longer than he thought the room should be and on the right side of the room there was a ladder, and Harry looked up and this room was much, much taller than he thought a place like think should be.

“It’s bigger on the inside.” Harry said aloud.

“Yes, and it wasn’t an easy feat of magic.” Someone said behind Harry and he shouted, and he twisted around to see the intruder but there was no one. Aside, of course, from the painting beside the door, that harry hadn’t seen because the door had blocked it when he came inside.

It was a young man. Older than Harry. Younger than Snape. His hair was fluffy and he was sitting in an armchair in a mirror image of the library. He wore a coat that had eight buttons keeping it shut in a grey fabric, he wasn’t wearing a hat and there was a crow on a stand.

“How is it that you came upon my house young intruder? And with my familiar no less?”

His voice was soft and cultured. Like something out of a period film. However, unlike actors pretending authenticity. This was entirely authentic.

_Adafrid!_ Sidra hissed happily, _They finished your colors!_

Adafrid, who had been looking at Harry, looked at Sidra and she had almost half her body off of Harry to get closer to the painting.

_“I did say I would get a proper funeral, my dear, and that includes this echo of my soul.”_

Harry needed to sit down for a minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what does everyone think so far? Let me hear your thoughts below! Short long, emoji's it doesn't matter! See you in the next chapter! :D


	4. Paintings and House Elves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry meets Adafrid Gaunt, and does some house cleaning! (shenanigans ensue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you enjoy the newest installment!

Harry had known about talking portraits but for some reason it felt more than a little unnerving knowing that the actual person of Adafrid was dead and this was some sort of magical reflection. He was currently in the house of a dead man. But weirder thing had happened hadn't it? 

"I'm Harry Potter, sir."

“Well met, Harry Potter. I am Adafrid Gaunt. Would you like to take a seat?"

Harry nodded and mumbled a thank you. He sat in the chair that wasn’t the red armchair in the painting but it was a simpler style but seemed very comfortable.

“I take it Sidra convinced you to come here?”

“Yeah. I really didn’t have anywhere else to go. I hope you don’t mind.”

Adafrid smiled gently, “It’s of no trouble to me Mr. Potter. I’ve been alone here with my books and an empty house for many years. Having a guest is a much-needed reprieve. Dust bunnies do not make good conversationalists.”

Harry chuckled, “No..I don’t think they would. In fact, I know from personal experience that dust bunnies are awful conversationalists.”

“Indeed. So, Mr. Potter. Do you intend to stay here long?”

“Oh, uh, at least until the term at Hogwarts starts. It’s a little less than a month. I can clean up this place, manage the yard that sort of stuff to earn my keep here.”

Adafrid frowned, "This is my home, it is improper to force you to do such menial tasks.”

Harry furrowed his brow, “Sir, I didn’t think anyone was going to be here painting or otherwise.I had already come with the intention of cleaning, at least a little bit. This place means a _lot_ to Sidra. It wouldn’t be right just to leaving this place as it is.”

Sidra was curled pleasantly around Harry. She brought her head up next to Harry's cheek and flicked her tongue out to smell him, _Harry is a nice Speaker Adafrid, and powerful. He took to the wild magics like a duckling to swimming._

Adafrid’s smile became just a little sweeter, “ _Thank you Sidra, I’m sure it was thanks to your help.”_

Snakes didn’t have the capacity to smile like humans, but she managed to tilt herself in such a way that made her look very pleased with herself.

“It really was. If it wasn’t thanks to her teaching me about getting a magic boost from the moon my cousin’s soul would’ve been eaten by a dementor.” And his shortly after probably.

Adafrid sat up just a little straighter, “Dementors? I hope you two weren’t footling about near Azkaban. Dementors are supremely territorial. However, I suppose no one is quite sure how they reproduce-“

“We weren’t anywhere near Azkaban. At least, I hope not. Surrey is a pretty odd place for a wizards prison to be.”

“Mostly they’re contained in the North Sea with Azkaban.” Adafrid stood up and paced his frame, “And no authorities were on it’s tail?”

“No.” Harry shook his head, “Just my babysitter, who happens to be a squip. I thought she had been a muggle for most of my life.”

Adafrid stopped pacing, “What dark times are these where dementors are allowed to attack children with no repercussions?”

Silence fell over the room, “Uh, if it helps, I don’t think it was random?”

Adafrid’s eyebrows quirked and he looked harry in the eye, “What do you mean?”

“Uh- I, I don’t really get along with a powerful wizard, and a bad one at that, and he…might have sent it?”

Adafrid pressed his lips into a line, “There is much I have missed. Please, explain how a child, such as yourself, has earned so much ire it earned him the injustice of having a soul sucking wraith set on him like a fox hunt.”

Harry gulped, “Well. I uh, I don’t know a lot about *how* Voldemort came to power. I just know that he did. He also believed in divination, and there was a prophecy made about a child that could defeat him. He decided that was me.”

Adafrid looked Harry over, “Is this why you have an untreated curse scar on your forehead?”

Harry’s face heated and he reached up and touched his lightning bolt scar. “Untreated?”

“It’s quite inflamed.” Adafrid pointed out, “I’m certain that it was given to you by this, Voldemort you mentioned?”

“Yeah, He uh. He killed my parents. The killing curse was his favorite method. He tried to kill me with the same spell, but mum sacrificed herself and somehow that protected me.”

“Somehow? No research was put in place to find out what shielded you?”

“Uh. No. If they do, they haven’t told me. Which honestly the theme of my life.”

“How so?”

“Well, to start off I was placed with my muggle relatives. With no mentions of my magical heritage whatsoever. There was also the fact I wasn’t told my mother sacrificed herself for me until after I, uh…accidentally killed my defense professor- but in my defense he was trying to kill me first-“

“I’m sorry.” Adafrid held up his hand, “I believe those two pieces of information could fill up a book alone. Actually, I think we’ll have to put this conversation on pause because I’m certain you need tea and perhaps some food to nosh on. Did you happen to bring anything with you? I’m afraid what remains in my cupboards is nothing but dust.”

“Uh, not really? I have some galleons…maybe a snack?”

“Then I suggest you use my fireplace to go to a market. I would suggest going to Pavia And Semer’s tavern in Cardiff.”

“And, how exactly would I know if it’s still running? You’ve been passed for…quite some time.”

Adafrid noded, “That’s a legitimate concern, and one we will be discussing later, but the matter of sussetance is a tad more important as of the present moment. On the mantle in the main room should be a pot full of floo dust. Toss the dust and say ‘Pavia and Semer’s Tavern’ and a green flame should appear.”

Harry nodded and stood up, “ _Sidra, do you want to stay or…?”_

_Leave me in the chair! Adafrid and I have much to catch up on!_

“Right,” and he set her down and made his exit.

Get the floo dust, toss it in, say the name. If it lights up, Good! Nothing: Bad. He could do this. It wasn’t like he was being asked to walk _in_ the fireplace like just before second year. 

The place was still covered in dust, but the lights helped. Harry took a deep breath and he reached up to grab the silver lidded pot that was on the far left. Beside some photographs and other trinkets.

All of them looked old, but none of them moved. There was Adafrid, of course, and two women. Well, one women and one girl. He frowned as he took the pot down, and took the lid off, grabbing a decent amount of the powder.

“Pavia and Semer’s Tavern!” He carefully enunciated to the fireplace before tossing in the powder.

All that happened was a puff of soot and ash coming up. Harry was pretty sure that wasn’t supposed to happen.

Harry even tried a second time, but with the same result. Not good.

Of all the things to have gone turtle; it being the floo honestly wasn’t even on the list let alone the worst thing to have happened. Worst come to worst he’ll have to take the hike back out to Arundel and summon the Knight Bus but that was a lot of spent galleons and no way to replenish it.

There was a chime and Harry frowned, looking towards the sound and one of the side windows opened and in came- Hedwig?

“Hedwig!” Harry Exclaimed, holding up his arm, and his wonderful friend landed perfectly and lightly on him, he looked to see if she was holding a letter or a package but there was nothing tied to her and nothing in her beak. “Did you follow me out here ‘cause you missed me? You’re so sweet.” He cooed and with one finger pet the crest of her feathers on her chest.

“Sorry I don’t have any treats for you right now, they’re in my trunk and there’s no food here.”

Harry sighed and made his way back to the library. Hedwig decided to fly up to the mantle and she started preening. Sxz4e3

He knocked before entering and Opened the door (the one furthest away from Adafrid’s painting).

“Nothing happened.”

“No flame at all?” Adafrid clarified and Harry nodded.

“I even tried it twice.”

“Troubling. Either the tavern no longer exists or my floo has been disconnected.”

“Either way I can’t use it to get food.”

“That’s also true. I suppose we’ll need to come up with another solution.”

Harry nodded, if only making bread out of grass was as simple as during a matchstick into a needle.

"Maybe I left a granola bar or two in my trunk." He said an exited the room again. 

His trunk had a couple of granola bars in it, and an old chocolate frog. But there was no other food or water there. 

If only he could get some _shopping_ done. But it wasn't like he could send Hedwig or Sidra out to do it. And he couldn't just snap his fingers to summon food either. 

Wait. He _did_ know someone who _could._

“Dobby?” Harry asks aloud to the room, and with a soft crack there was the elf in his mitch matched socks.

“Mister Harry Potter Sir!” Dobby cried out with glee. “What can Dobby be doing for you sir?”

“Hello Dobby.” Harry greeted accepting the engulfing hug the excitable elf had wrapped around his legs. “I was wondering if you could do something for me?”

“Anything!”

“Okay…I need you to take my money pouch and buy some groceries. Bread, meat, cheese. Maybe flour milk and eggs? Not too much just enough to get by- shoot. I should probably make a list. I don’t even know if I have enough.”

“Dobby is glad to assist with anything Mister Harry Potter needs!”

Harry nodded and he went to his trunk to fish out paper or parchment and he grabbed one of his few ballpoint pens and wrote down a list:

_NEED:_

_Bread_

_Meat (jerky )_

_Apples (half a dozen)_

_PURCHASE IF THERE IS LEFTOVER MONEY:_

_Milk (one liter)_

_Eggs (one dozen)_

_Flour (1 pound)_

_Butter (1 pound)_

He looked over the list. Bread meat and some apples he could eat for a few days no problem. But he didn’t know where Dobby might go to get food. He's only left dobby instructions to get other items like milk eggs, flour, and butter if and only if Harry had enough left in his money stash. It wasn’t frivolous but it would keep him from going hungry it would give Harry enough time to figure out how to get more money. His vault? A job? Maybe he should ask Dobby to buy him rice instead of bread...it was looking more and more like he was going to have to go to Gringotts sooner rather than later...but he didn't have his _key._

He handed dobby the piece of paper, “Just do what you can with this.”

Dobby looked it over and nodded, “Dobby will be back sir!”

Harry nodded and he looked around the house. It was very dirty. He sighed and headed back to the library.

“Alright, I figured out the food thing. Uh, do you have any rags I can use around here? I might as well get some of the dust off the tables and chairs?”

Adafrid looked up from his book and furrowed his brow. “Of course, There’s a closet just down the hall. But why use rags when you could banish the dust?”

This time Harry furrowed his brows, “But I’m still underage. I’m not allowed.”

Adafrid waved off the commet, “Your worry has value if you used your school wand. However, my commissioned wand has taken a liking to you. I’m sure it would take great joy in being used.”

Harry looked at the wand he had set down in the chair next to Sidra.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

Adafrid nodded, “I am.”

Harry hummed and gathered up the wand. And headed for the main room of the house. A table should be safe if it goes wrong, right? Harry hummed rolling the wand back and forth in his hand.

“Let’s give this a go then, huh?” And he pointed the wand at the wooden dining room table under Hedwig’s watchful eyes.

He moved his hand in the familiar shape, “Scourgify.” He incanted and a flash of yellow popped from his wand and spread out over the table in a line of yellow the dust was being eaten away by the spell. In less than a few seconds the wood, which had been caked in dust, shined with a new polish. Harry was a little slack-jawed and where there was a bit of a knot of anxiety, that he hadn’t he known he had, that loosened.

He pointed his wand at the seats and cast the spell again, the spell cleaned that just as easily and Harry grinned and even let out a giggle as he continued to cast the spell at the different spaces around him. He stayed away from the mantel or anything perhaps too delicate for spell work but the fact he was doing _magic_ outside of Hogwarts of unbelievable!

He looked around for something else to cast on. He went to the kitchen for something less breakable to test another spell on, and he cleaned along the way. He wasn’t having any trouble at all! It was like his magic was listening to him _properly_ for once.

He looked around the kitchen and a-ha! A spoon should do. He placed it on the freshly cleaned table nearby and grinned, “ _Wingarium Leviosa!”_ He cast and he felt the pull come from inside and exit the wand like a breath of air. The spoon lifted with hardly any trouble at all. Expected, of course, but exciting none-the-less! He flicked his wand and the spoon gave a bit of a spin. He was quietly glowing with pride when Dobby popped back in.

“Mister Harry Potter sir!” Dobby called out from the main space of the house. Which startled Harry out of his concentration. The spoon clattered onto the table and Harry turned on his heel to head back to Dobby.

“Alright Dobby, that was quick what did you….”

Dobby waited expectantly for Harry and he was bouncing on his feet and Harry looked at…everything that Dobby had gotten.

“Dobby?” Harry squeaked out, “What. What did you BUY?”

“All necessities for Mister Harry Potter! Chicken for laying eggs, a self-building coop for the chickens! Grow Fast fruit tree seeds! Oh oh oh and the most wonderful! A Forever Cooling Box!!”

Dobby grinned from ear to ear and Harry was..he honestly didn’t know what to do about this.

“Dobby how much of my money did you use? I- I can’t afford chickens- let alone an ice box!”

“Oh it is no worry, Mister Harry Potter!” Dobby assure, “Dobby used his _own_ money! He has lots to spare!”

He opened his mouth to admonish Dobby but the elf was looking at him with such wide exited eyes and Harry couldn’t do it. He closed his mouth and pasted on a smile.

“Thanks, dobby. Did.. you at least get the other things on my list, like the bread?”

Dobby noded eagerly his ears flapping wildly, “Yes mister potter, yes! All have been gotten and more! A much-needed house warming gift for Mister Harry Potter in Mister Harry Potter’s new home! A very clever place. Very well hidden! Dobby will help put these things away!”

Dobby snapped his fingers and the packages lifted up and bobbed their merry way into the kitchen. Dobby was humming tunelessly happier than Harry had _ever_ seen him.

Harry took a deep breath. It was time to turn a house into a home.

Harry was so glad that Dobby decided to stick around and help because in order to garden Harry needed a good chunk of these weeds gone, and Dobby was _more_ than happy to assist. Insisting that since Hogwarts was closed for the summer he had nothing more important to look forward to.

Harry was going to get _so many_ socks for Dobby this Christmas for all the help.

Dobby showed him how the quick grow seeds worked, helped Harry understand the watering procedures and such. Dobby helped organized the pantry and the wizard Ice Box. Dobby showed harry how the stove worked and even assisted with making new meals.

Harry was busy inside dusting and cleaning everything inside and cleaning his bedroom. The master Bedroom to be exact. Which freaked Harry out to no end but Adafrid was insistent.

“You are the master of the house now, the wards have long accepted you as the new owner. The wards are very special and seldom ever make a wrong decision.”

Harry nodded, “Yeah, I’ll, uh, try not to disappoint.”

Adafrid smiled warmly, “I have full confidence in you.”

Sidra was amused by the whole situation.

_I have never seen a house elf adopt a wizard so readily. It is strange, but very cute!_ Sidra had mused as Dobby hugged Harry at the end of the second week.

“If Mister Harry Potter needs assistance with _anything_ else, let Dobby know and Dobby WILL come assist Mister Harry Potter!”

“Thank you so much dobby. I’ll see you later.” Harry leaned down to hug Dobby, and he hugged back with a vigor.

When they separated Dobby grinned and nodded before snapping his fingers and popping away.

Harry counted to three before letting out a sigh of relief.

“Somehow I get the feeling that Dobby had been itching to help me out for quite a while.”

_Dobby is a funny Elf. He smells like human food and wears socks that do not match._

Harry smiled and shrugged, “He prefers to wear them like that. I better go feed the girls.”

And by girls he meant his chickens. They were free-range, sure, but they still needed a nutrition supplement every other day or so.

What was Harry going to do when school got started?

Hedwig interrupted his thought process by gliding through the wards with a letter on her leg.

Harry took it from her and pet her head, grateful. There were two sheets of parchment in the envelope.

_Harry,_ the first page started with Hermione's crisp style.

_It’s been forever since you’re last letter! Are you okay? Dumbledore sent people to check up on you but you weren’t there, and they haven’t seen you go in or out since. Where on earth are you, you know it’s dangerous out there!_

_Please send a letter back, we just want to know you’re okay and not hurt or worse. At least Hedwig keeps in contact. And please tell me you didn't go off on some adventure, that is the LAST thing we need rightnow._

_We have something to tell you when we get ahold of you,_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione._

Harry sighed and he switched to the other letter,

_Hey Harry!_ Greeted Ron's wobbly script.

_Hope you’re doing well. Heard you managed to give the muggles the slip! Don’t know how you managed to do that. I heard mum caterwauling about it, you’ll have to give me tips about how you just managed to disappear off the map like you did._

_Anyway, Hermione has been nagging at me to do my summer work and honestly with her help we can just get it done on the train! And ALL this cleaning mum has been making us do for our ‘secret project’ is chapping my hands up and I have been bitten THREE TIMES._

_I’m begging for asylum here!_

_Anyway, are we gonna meet up before school starts? I would LOVE that. It would be amazing after the summer I’ve had. If not, that’s alright. Hope you’re having fun wherever you’ve secreted off to._

_Ron_

Harry couldn’t help the smile he got with Ron’s letter and he folded them up and put them in his pocket.

“Alright Hedwig I’ll write up my responses. Don’t bother the hens okay? I don’t think they’ve forgiven me for the last time.”

She twittered and flew up onto the bird mount that he had pulled out from the closet. (which was bigger on the inside to his astonishment and delight!) Sidra was curled up on a rock in one of the windows.

_You got paper from the bird?_ Sidra asked from her basking place and Harry nodded.

_“From Ron and hermione.”_

_Did they have good things to say?_

_“Mostly, Hermione is very worried about my safety and Ron is begging me to get him out of cleaning a ‘secret project’.”_

Sidra hissed in her own amused fashion, her breaths coming in and out a few times and she pulled her head up to get a better look at Harry, _I think your Ron might not have musch rest if he came here._

Harry chuckled, _“Ron would probably just…sleep all day if he were over here._ ”

_Are you going to tell them about Our secret project?_

Harry shrugged while rolling his eyes, _“I’m not sure. Ron and Hermione both worry so much about me, and I’m finally in a place where I feel happy and…”_ The word was stuck in the back of his throat. A place without the Durlsey’s. A place where he could cook for himself. A place he didn’t feel the need to share with _anyone._

_Content? Comfortable? Learned?_

Harry snorted, “ _Oh yeah, the one thing I’m most thankful about this place is that it’s helped me become more learned_.”

Oh. Right. “ _Speaking of learning I have to work on my school work after I write back Herimone and Ron.”_

Sidra hissed agreeably and Harry set to work to inform his friends that Yes, he was safe but he felt like he needed some alone time and that later in the summer he would reach out again about meeting up at Diagon Alley. He added in his response to Ron that Harry’s own ‘secret get-away’ still had plenty of chores due to unforeseen circumstances, but he would definitely help Ron on the train with his homework since he had decided to get that done early.

Harry folded the parchments up and placed them back in the envelope Hermione had sent. He walked back to the living area and Hedwig was waiting and Harry offered her the letter.

“Ron and Hermione. You know where to go right? They didn’t give me an address.” Hedwig hooted and puffed her feather up with pride. Like she was saying ‘ _of course!’_ and Harry pet her crest with a couple of fingers and she was off, flying through the open window.

Harry sighed, and headed for his room to get his books.

Harry sighed and entered the library. There was something off about the potions essay he couldn’t figure out why they needed dill seed rather than the root, why was that even a question?

“Hello Harry, it’s pleasant to see you- oh dear boy, what are you wearing?”

Harry, who had been absorbed by the complications of his dill seed question, looked up and saw Adafrid with a knitted brow and standing up.

“Huh?”

“Your shirt is nearly falling off of you, Harry.”

Harry looked down and, yeah. He was wearing one of his older shirts. One where it was a 5xl, and it definitely looked like it was wanting to fall off at any moment.

“Sorry, these are hand-me-downs from my cousin. I don’t really have any clothes of my own.”

Adafrid looked Harry over. And shook his head, “This is no way for a guest in my home to dress! My Grandmother is probably rolling in her grave. Please, have a look at my things in the storeroom. There should be a chest near a standing mirror with some of my other lounging clothes and shoes.”

Harry’s face heated up with horror, “Oh I couldn’t possibly-“

Adafrid looked firm, “Please. I have no use for those items anymore; and if they can assist you, then I am more than willing to give you my own ‘hand-me-downs’

Harry frowned at Adafrid and sighed, “Fine, at the very least I’ll take a look at them.”

Adafrid’s shoulders relaxed and he bowed his thanks to Harry and Harry made his exit with a heavy sigh. It would be rude to not at least look at what Adafrid had to offer. He headed upstairs to the storeroom. (TK check house dimensions) From the outside you would never guess this place had an upstairs but there was magic _dripping_ from every corner of the house.

The storeroom was the first door across from the stairs and he opened up and was met with the familiar smell of dust. He looked for the standing mirror and bee-lined for that, not bothering to look at anything else. Indeed, there was a chest by the mirror and Harry took a deep breath and kneeled in front of the pandora’s box of charity and he didn’t even know if he was going to _like_ anything inside or even if everything was going to be in good shape when it opened.

Harry unlatched the two pieces holding it closed and he lifted the lid. There was no smell of anything rotting or damp, nor did he get another strong wiff of dust. He took a better look inside and saw a few sets of clothing. Linen shirts on one side waist coats in the middle and trousers on the other side. Harry picked up the linen shirts and they felt…good. Not course and in far better condition than his own clothing.

The waistcoats on the top of its stack had silver buttons on it, and Harry looked it over before picking up the trousers. The pair on top was black and smooth to the touch. They seemed a bit looser than he figured they would be. However, the fashion sense seemed to be more in line with what people wore in Diagon Alley.

It was very posh, and harry looked through the different shirts and waistcoats to try on something.

He would try something without a waistcoat first.

He exited his room and headed for Sidra’s sunning window and he cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders.

“ _So…how do I look?”_

Sidra hummed and lifted her head from her coils looking him over and she bobbed her head in approval.

_Like a Gentleman._

Harry kept cleaning and caring for the trees and chickens and life was honestly very peaceful. Adafrid was very helpful with homework and filling in the theory and explaining certain magical concepts.

Soon enough, Harry received a letter from McGonagall with the list for his new books and supplies for the new school year.

Harry hummed to himself looking it over and checking the dates. It should be fine if he went the week before…if not he could owl order what he hadn’t gotten while he was out.

Hermione and Ron were going to be there, especially since Hermione had made it a point that ‘since Harry had play Hermit the whole summer he must socialize before the train’ which was her own strange way of saying she missed Harry and wanted to see him before school stress got to her.

Harry looked over the tunics and waist coats that he had to choose from. Cream tunic with dark blue waist coat? Yeah, that sounded like a good combo. Harry smiled and got dressed.

“You look excited, Harry.” Was Adafrid greeting and Harry nodded, lacing up his shoes.

“It’ll be the first time seeing my friends in quite some time.”

“It is good to see friends. You’re headed to Diagon Alley?”

Harry nodded and moved onto the other shoe.

“If you don’t mind, I would like you to run an errand for me.”

Harry cocked his head and finished with the lacing and looked up at Adafrid, “Sure, what sort of errand?”

“My family ring, well, _my_ ring. The one connected to my name and vaults. I would like you to have access to it.”

“I don’t understand.” Harry stood up, “I have my own money, I don’t need yours.”

Afraid nodded, “I understand that, but I believe that there should be no trouble. You remember the wards?”

Harry shrugged, “Yeah, Sidra let me in.”

Adafrid looked apprehensive, “I was speaking to Sidra about that. And she mentioned that there was no exchange of magic at the wards. When I designed my home I made sure to have two lines of defense. First, the guardian to accept a magical offering. Which is a loose contract of civility. Next, is registering an unfamiliar magical signature. But all you did was touch the wards.”

Harry was nodding along, “Yes, I understand, but what does that mean?”

“That means the wards accepted you in not as a guest, but as family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...thoughts? Yeah, a bit cliche type ending but I love that kind of stuff! Leave a comment long short or just emojis to let me know your thoughts! I'll see ya'll next time! :)


	5. Bank and Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry goes to the bank, and visits his friends and sees some familiar faces!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have the next chapter! This one is a real doozy that I had fun crafting.

Harry found the ring in almost a daze. Just the _idea_ of having living family, in one form or another, was a dream he had given up in his first year. He looked at the ring with its engraving on it. It was a family shield of some sort. Wings, and the image… of a little cherub holding a snake. Of course, with all the statues lining the walkway here.

Harry took it back to the library, “I have it.” He said and held it up.

Adafrid nodded, “Good, now put it on your dominant hand’s index finger. It should resize to your hand.

Harry did as asked and the ring warmed up before shrinking to the proper size.

“And all I have to do is show them this ring and…what, exactly?”

“They’ll need proof. And they should give you a free blood reading of your family tree and see if you are in direct line for my vaults.”

“Right, but I didn’t think Goblins do ‘free’.”

“They want the assets in that vault doing something other than gathering dust, Harry. If it isn’t complimentary, quote section 6 b in the Treasury Charters.”

“And..what exactly does that mean?”

“It means that an orphan has the right to know where he comes from. Goblin kind never leaves one another on the street penniless if they can help it. It’s who they are.”

Harry hummed to himself and continued about his day, gathering his money and readying the hike out to the street to summon the knight bus.

Sidra gladly wrapped herself around Harry.

_Going out for a day on the town?_

Harry smiled and pet Sidra’s back, “Yeah, probably going to meet up with some friends after.”

He pet down Sidra’s back and they headed off.

He noticed the chickens as he passed and one of them came up to him, he smiled and pet her.

“Such a sweet girl, you’ll behave while I’m gone, right?” She clucked at him and tottled away.

_A small trip like this won’t be a problem. You going off to the Cold Castle for Magic Learning might pose a bit of a puzzle to solve._

Oh damn, Harry hadn’t thought of that!

_“Maybe I could get dobby to look after them?”_

Sidra hissed with amusement as they walked further out of the forest.

\--

Diagon Alley was the same as it usually was, but this time around the energy was different. In the way that no one was looking at Harry. Everyone went about their day without even giving him a second glance and he smiled.

_“Alright our first stop…the bank.”_

Gringotts was always a strange place to Harry, the Goblins, the people talking and whispering quietly or nervously. The vast space inside and how footsteps echoed almost endlessly. 

Harry took a deep breath standing just outside the door of the bank. He slipped inside when a small family excited and the first thing he noticed was his leather shoes were quiet against the marble stone floor. There were many tellers and even more tellers. There were chandeliers hanging and the lights glittered and Harry made his way towards the back of the building.

_“You know,”_ Harry hissed softly to Sidra, _“I think I just realized that in the wizarding world making things bigger on the inside is... common.”_

_Welcome to the world of magic._ Sidra teased softly and Harry approached the head teller. He looked unhappy staring at his paperwork as he did the last time he was here. Harry approach none-the-less.

The goblin was looking at one paper writing on another one, and when Harry approached he raised one wrinkled hand to signal to wait a moment and Harry nodded. The goblin finished writing and he looked over his glasses to Harry.

“How may I be of assistance?” His voice graveled out.

“Uh- some wards recognized me as a family member. However, I don’t have anyone living to confirm my vault claim? I was told I could get a test done to trace back my lineage?”

The goblin looked him over and looked slightly interested, “And do you have a particular family in mind you are wishing to confirm? Because you are mister Harry Potter, no? Have you lost…access to your vaults?”

Harry shook his head, “No. Uhm, here’s the family ring?” Harry held up a shaky hand and steadied it with his right hand so the Goblin could take a look.

“Fascinating. Jortook!” He snapped his fingers and another Goblin appeared, this goblin was wearing more light greens than the other browns of the Goblin’s dress. “Are you familiar with the protocols of section 6 B of the Treasury Charters?”

“Yes Sir.” The goblin responded, the voice higher than the other goblins he had heard, “I can take him to Chamber 2 in the west wing.”

The older goblin nodded, “It is appreciated. Mister Potter, please accompany Jortook and she will take care of your lineage tracking.”

“Thanks.” He said and followed Jortook who walked off to one side, and Harry followed. She took him to the entrance to the deeper sections of the bank, but instead of going deep she took a left to a door. Interestingly enough there wasn’t a doorknob, but there was a keyhole. Jortook pulled a key out from one of her vest pockets and inserted the key. The door split open from the center and the Goblin stepped through and Harry followed.

The new hallway dipped down at an angle and was lit by lamps, but there didn’t appear to be any heat coming from them.

They walked further down their steps echoed against the walls.

“I have to say,” Jortook spoke up, “It has been quite some time since I’ve seen a wizard or witch with such a strong bond with a familiar.”

Sidra hissed with pleasure and postured her head so her scales glittered better in the light.

“Careful, Sidra’s ego is being fueled,” Harry responded with a shaky chuckle and Jortook smiled, exposing sharp teeth.

“As it should be, for the both of you. Ever since the Christianization of wizard society with the ever-increasing Muggle population, familiars fell into decline.”

Harry frowned, “Really?”

Jortook nodded, “Oh yes, quite a shame really. But when you’re raised with the idea that your boogeyman of the afterlife can possess any animal to sway your soul to damnation I can’t say I blame them.”

Jortook spoke of a light air of curiosity as they walked and Harry just listened, unsure of how to provide more information to the conversation. He grew up in a household that condemned magic but wasn’t the most religious of places to be.

Of course, occasionally, when Uncle Vernon needed to get a deal locked down, they would go to church on Sundays for about a month and a half but that’s as religious as things got.

“Here we are, please step into the room Mister Potter.” Jortook said unlocking another door and Harry nodded in thanks before stepping through.

“It will be a minute before Hendret will arrive, please be patient. If you need to leave the premises quickly please knock on this door four-time succinctly and it will send for an attendant to escort you back out.”

“Okay, thanks!” Harry nodded. Jortook nodded and stepped back into the hall, the door closing behind her.

Harry looked at the door for a couple of seconds before looking at the room in front on him. It wasn’t a very large room. It had even tan tiles lining the floor leading up to a short table and two chairs. One was large enough for Harry to sit in and the other was a much smaller chair, most likely goblin size. Both are made from brown worn cloth but they didn’t look uncomfortable so Harry took a seat.

_Even after all these years, they haven’t changed the décor._ Sidra observed.

_“Been here before?”_ He asked her and she bobbed her head.

_I came here to these chambers once before with Adafrid._

Harry was going to ask for more, but the other side of the chamber opened up to reveal another Goblin. Harry immediately stood up.

“Mr. Potter?” Hendret asked looking up from a file he was holding and Harry nodded.

“Yeah, that’s me thank you for uh, taking your time for helping me.” Harry held out a hand and the Goblin stared at it, rose an eyebrow before reaching out his own hand which was also wrinkled, but mores o than Jortook’s, and shook Harry’s hand once.

“It is of no trouble Mr. Potter. According to the request you wish to see your lineage?”

He nodded and Hendret nodded back and snapped his fingers and items appeared in a small flourish of gold sparks.

“There is a needle next to the cloth tapestry.” Hendret pointed out and Harry took a closer look and there was indeed a needle glittering in the lamplight. “Prick the needle into the thumb of your dominant hand and press it into the arithmancy circle on the bottom right of the tapestry.”

Harry nodded and ensured that there was a circle on the bottom right of the tapestry and , yes, there it was. Written in gold ink? Or perhaps liquid gold? Not important. Harry picked up the needle in his right hand and he took a deep breath. This couldn’t be worse than the time his whole arm’s bone structure had to be regrown! And he stuck the needle in his thumb. It started bleeding straight away and Harry rushed to get it pressed in the circle and a bloody thumb print was left behind, it soaked into the paper and the red of his print turned into silver and names started popping up on the cloth and spread upwards and upwards.

“Very good give me your hand Mister Potter so that you will not drip blood like a badly tuned faucet.”

Harry grunted and held out his hand and Hendret took his and gently and examine the small wound and then muttered a spell, but the syllables weren’t the one he remembered for the usual healing spell, but it seemed to work the same regardless because his thumb was didn’t radiate pain from the pinpoint prick and Hendret brought out a handkerchief and wiped the excess blood away.

“There we go, now. The ancestry tapestry.” Both of them turned to face it and harry found his name at the bottom. Above his name was his parents name. Lilly Evans Potter and James Potter.

“Hendret…” Harry asked frowning when there were no names above his mum’s. “Why’s this side blank?”

Hendret grunted and exaimed the results himself, “The tapestry was treated with a potion designed to find lineages with traces of magic. Was your mother a New Blood?”

“New- oh, Muggle Born? Yeah.”

“New Blood.” He corrected with a nod of his head, “That is why you cannot see your non-magical family. That is a different ancestry test.”

Harry nodded.

“Now, place the ring, seal side down, on your thumb print. If there is a genetic match, then the proper name or names will glow gold.”

Harry took a deep breath and took off the ring, he then placed the ring as asked for seal down. He prepared himself for nothing to light up but the moment he took his hand away it began to glow!

First his father’s name glowed, and then his grandmother and great grandfather leading and up and up until there was just one name left.

Leana Gaunt Potter

“Hmm…a Gaunt. It has been quite some time since I’ve seen that name. Congratulations Harry Potter, you have a proper claim to the family ring you hold as well as the vaults connected to it. Is there anything else you need?”

_You need the family seal ring of the Potter vaults, possibly others that you have claims to._

“Uh…are there other family rings I have access to? Like the Potter ring?”

Hendret nodded and went to one of the walls, He pressed his hand into one of the bricks and it pressed in and a larger part of the wall opened.

“Gaunt and Potter.” He said into the space and a ring and keys popped into existence on the bottom portion of the new hole in the water. 

“Wait, I thought the potter vault one had one key?”

“According to your file,” Hendret said, flipping papers and scanning the words, “On October 31st last year you were magically emancipated. You are now considered in the eyes of the bank in your majority and thus, the keys are to be given to you, and the potter family ring.”

“The ring? Why wouldn’t Dumbledore just give it to me?”

“All rings forged in Gringotts return magically if those of their majority perish and someone unlawfully attempts to take it. You were allowed to take from a trust fund, but without the ring, no one could touch anything else. It is our way. I doubt Dumbledore had signed the correct contracts. Or perhaps your parent’s killer attempted to take the ring.”

Hendret handed it to Harry. The crest was small and compact but it was easy to spot the lion, it was surrounded by scrolling that looked like cloth and it had bustles of…

“Wheat?”

“Yes, in ancient times, the Potter family were Lords over many farms. There are three to signify the unity with their land. If you also notice the lion is not centered. They valued themselves to be a family of the people.”

“Then what does the cherub holding the snake mean for the Gaunt ring?”

“This was a ring commissioned to us quite recently within the last 200 years. My studies are of older specimens. However, if I could take a gander, then I would say it would be because over the years snakes have been vilified, and the customer wanted imagery of peace, if you notice the snake is standing sentinel in the hand of a cherub and is not aggressive.”

Harry nodded, “It’s hard not to notice.”

“Indeed, and these are your keys. The trust vault, the Potter vault, the Gaunt vault, and the Black vault. Would you like me to reinstate your floo network at the Gaunt Manor as well?”

“Uh- yeah, that would be great, but why do I have access to the Black vault?”

“Very good.” Hendret said and he pressed his own ring into one of the pieces of paper in the file before shuffling through the other pieces of parchment his eyes gliding over the words, “Referencing your files again, one Regulus black left the Black name and assets to one Sirius black, and considering he is a condemned criminal in the eyes of the ministry, all possessions were then given to his heir, whom he named as the heir to James Potter. That would be you.”

Sirius had a brother? Harry would have to ask Sirius about that.

“And the ring isn’t here because…?”

“Because the emergency spells were never activated. However, Gringotts is certain the ring is on a black property.”

“…any idea which property?”

“There are a couple of vinyards and a housing property. I would start with the housing property.”

“Cool, and the property?”

Hendret looked over the papers and his wrinkled brow furrowed. “It appears the property is under the Fidelius charm. As the new owner of the property, it will take a simple dispelling form to reveal the name and location to you. Do you wish to do this?”

Harry looks at Sidra and she bobs her head, _It IS your property after all. It is an insult to hide it from you!_

“Yeah, I’ll sign the form.”

Hendret nodded and snapped his fingers and a scroll of paper appeared. He handed it over to Harry.

“You may look over the details in your own time, the bank doesn’t close for a few hours yet.”

“Thanks. _Sidra, can you read in lawyer?”_

Sidra looked at the Paper, and looked back at him, _Harry I can’t even read English._

Harry couldn’t help but laughed and went, “Okay okay I guess I have to read it on my own.”

It wasn’t a very long form, and it wasn’t too awful to figure out what it was about. It was partly a waver disclosure saying that if anything bad happened to anything or anyone on the property got hurt it wasn’t their fault. But that fidelius was probably old and surely Sirius would tell him if he were staying there…

He signed his name on the bottom of the form.

“Good.” Hendret said, “Now, take the Potter ring and press it into the parchment next to your name and the dispelling will be complete.”

Harry nodded and pressed it into the parchment. The ring glowed and when he pulled the ring away there was a mark.

“It is done, you now have full access to number 12 Grimmauld place. Is there anything else?”

“Sure, why did you have me use the Potter ring and not the Gaunt ring?”

Hendret inclined his head, “A valuable question. It is a simple answer: your family name is Potter, that is who you were born as. The Gaunt ring, while connected to you by blood, is more distant contractually speaking. The same will apply to the Black ring once retrieved.”

“Cool..but why have the other rings if the more important one is the Potter ring?”

Hendret rose an eyebrow, “On larger contracts such as marriage contracts and birth certificates for your brood it will require the marks of all your rings for there to be full magical validity.”

“Right. Cool.”

“Is that all?”

Harry looked at Sidra, and Sidra nodded back. “I think that’s all. Now uh, I think I need to make a withdrawl. From my trust fund.”

Hendret nodded, “That can be arranged. Thank you for your patronage. Would you like the ancestry tapestry placed in storage?”

“Uh, yeah. Put it in the regular Potter vault, please.”

Hendret nodded again.

Harry made a heafty withdrawal and was now looking forward to having something other than eggs and jerky with different fruits to go with it. He could buy _rice._

He grinned to himself and went shopping.

He purchased his school supplies first and even paid for _delivery_. The potions ingredients, the new books. (even the weird one for Defense, why was it so thin?).

While he was checking out of the book shop, he asked for directions to the food market and giddily followed the directions to an alley off the alley. Otherwise known as: _Alley Branch._

Harry was not unfamiliar with food markets he wasn’t even unfamiliar with going food shopping in general but there were so many vendors and the _smells._ He was grinning from ear to ear.

He didn’t have to purchase much food, in fact, he was pretty much covered on the fruit side of things. Minus bananas.

He looked around at the various produces meats and _wow_ they had fish stands! He Grabbed three potatoes at one stand, oil at another. He bought half a pound of ground poultry some rice, and even grabbed some extra butter.

“Would you like a ‘perish not’ box sir? To put all your things in while you do your other shopping?” The dairy stall asked and he said _yes._

“Very good sir, in fact I have a delivery owl available if you want this delivered.”

“Oh yes, thanks.” He whispered the address to the tawny owl and it blinked once and grabbed the package by the strings and flew off. Harry even tipped!

With a fairy successful trip all he had left to do was spend a friendly afternoon with his friends, who should be waiting for him in the leaky cauldron.

_You’re leaking happiness._ Sidra observed.

“ _What can I say? This is the first time in my life I’ve walked in public to shop with no one to babysit or recognize me._ ”

That is, until someone bumped into him. Harry tripped over his own feet and he braced himself to fall onto the pavement, but no contact came. Harry opened his eyes and he looked up into the eyes of- of-

“Malfoy?” He asked aloud and Draco- no- Malfoy looked back and the soft eyes turned hard and Harry was pulled back up.

“Careful Potter.” Malfoy muttered, “Wouldn’t want your precious pretty Potter head to get cracked open would be? Watch your step next time.” Malfoy pushed by Harry and he disappeared into the sea of people.

Harry’s heart pounded and his eyes burned. He tried to find Draco in the crowd but it was no use, he was gone. As usual. He sighed and turned back around. His friends were waiting for him.

And waiting they were at one of the booths, leaning over the table whispering to each other.

Harry walked up to them and they didn’t turn their heads to look at him. He waited but they seemed to only have eyes for one another.

He rolled his eyes, “Gee, if you two wanted to go on a date the least you could do was tell me!”

That stopped the both of them in their tracks and they turned to look at Harry their faces twisted in disgust and readying to correct him, but they stopped both of their eyes widening just a little at seeing what he was wearing. They synchronous actions were a bit barmy but sweet none-the-less. Both grinned and Hermione squealed and attempted to hug the life out of Harry.

“Woah! Not around the neck!”

Hermione rolled her eyes and hugged him around his waist instead, “Why am I specifically not hugging your neck?”

“My familiar is wrapped around there.” Not that Hermione could see Sidra with her using her invisibility magic.

Hermione gave him a look, but apparently it wasn’t important enough to pry, “We were extremely worried about you, Harry! Where have you been!” She slapped his arm and Harry tried his best not to flinch. He wasn’t sure he succeeded.

“I’ve been safe, and you lot? Ron told me you’ve been off cleaning some secret project. Am I allowed to know now?”

Hermione pulled back, and her happy face was now pensive.

“This is a little too public to talk about. Why not come back with us? Mrs. Weasley knows the way, and she’s almost done with the shopping.”

It was now Harry’s turn to look a little pensive, “I don’t know Hermione, I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve had to myself. And I just made some delivery purchases, wouldn’t want them to get rained on or something.”

“I suppose so,” Hermione frowned, looking Harry up and down and tugged at one of his shirt sleeves, “Aside from that, what’s with the outfit?”

Harry hummed and looked down at himself, “Uh, consider it camouflage. I blend in easier and people don’t bother me as much.”

Ron nodded, “You look good mate. Mum’s always shoving me in the sweaters she makes. No time for me to dress up in the nicer stuff with all the work we’ve been getting up to, I suppose.”

“I have some spare if you like. Linen shirts and waist coats alike.”

Ron fist bumped Harry and the three of them continued to talk. The afternoon was becoming quite enjoyable, that is, until Mrs. Weasley bustled in with panic in her eyes scanning everyone inside. When she caught sight of them her shoulders dipped with relief and she quickly made her way over, weaving her way through the patrons like a champion.

Harry watched while a non-observant Ron prattles along discussing a chess game he had against Hermione like it was an epic battle to be heralded. Too bad Harry still didn’t understand a lick of chess to follow it without the board in front of him.

Mrs. Weasley reached their table and she looked them all over and she sighed with relief, “Oh thank _heavens_ all three of you all right. Harry stood up and Mrs. Weasley took the chance to hug him, he redirected her arms away from his neck so she wouldn’t hurt Sidra but other than that it was warm and nice and very much welcome.

“I am _so happy_ to see you Safe Harry! All of us were so worried when we didn’t find you with your relatives!”

“We had a disagreement.” Harry supplies, “There was an accident that wasn’t my fault, that they thought _was_ my fault so they kicked me out. I found a safe place to stay.”

Mrs. Weasley smiled, but it was the sort of smile he assumed was one of those smiles that tried to pretend she wasn’t worried sick. Even after all the time he’s spent with this family he’s still uncertain how much concern she actually has for him, so he decided to continue.

“But it’s okay, I went to the bank and they told me I was magically emancipated because of the Tournament last year. Seriously, I’m okay-“

“EMANCIPATED?” She shouted and glared at the people who glaced their way, her face getting meaner until the patrons looked away. Mrs. Weasley took a deep breath and she grabbed Harry’s hands, “I should’ve known that Tournament wouldn’t have finished with you when it ended. There so much- oh but that’s not why I’m here… we have to get back! Something dangerous has happened and we have to re-establish some magical protections! Harry, please come with us- I don’t want you going off again and getting hurt.”

Sidra hissed with mischievous delight and Harry sighed, “I can come over for… a couple of hours. Maybe dinner, but I really do have to get back to where I’m staying.”

Mrs. Weasley obviously wanted to say no, judging by the defiant shine in her eye, and Harry honestly understood her feelings, but he wanted to keep what he had gained for himself.

“All we have to do is put up some wards and have a chat, then you can go about your way, dear.” Mrs. Weasley assured and all of them headed out to the muggle side of the leaky cauldron to get on the knight bus. Mrs. Weasley gave Stan (was there seriously only one Knight Bus?) An address to drive to, and it was some café.

The ride was quiet but not uncomfortable, and when they got off Harry got a look at the café. It didn’t look corporate, and there were a couple people talking over their coffee outside its doors. Harry almost wanted to take a look inside, but when the bus was out of sight Mrs. Weasley turned a little more serious and any thought of exploring flew out the window.

“Alright, follow me. Blend in and try to look native.” She said and Harry had to bite back a bit of a laugh. With her blazing orange hand knitted cardigan blending in wasn’t something could possibly be done. However… the sun was burning pretty hot, and there was a slight breeze. Maybe he could make them a magical ‘cloud’ of sorts to hide them from the muggle. A…walking confundus bubble! There, he had an actual spell to work from. Now he just had to work with ‘sky’ and ‘sun’.

Sidra hissed softly with pleasure and slithered her way onto his arm, and she did that thing that made his magic just sing and he took a deep breath in and smelled the hot concrete and car fumes from the road. He felt the sun on the back of his neck, and he visualized a little bubble around the four of them. A walking little cloud of ‘notice me not’ and the magic easily gathered, and with a small shake of his hand he released the magic with a mutter of the confundus spell and the bubble snapped into place and the people around then naturally avoided them their gazes drifting away.

_Very well done, Harry._ Sidra hissed softly and rewrapped herself around Harry’s shoulders tucking her head against his throat.

Harry glowed at the praise and they kept walking, they reached the edge of a street and they walked down, getting closer to some muggle apartment complex. But not just _any_ apartment complex, Grimmauld place. And Mrs. Weasley and zeroed in on the 12th one specifically.

On the yard in front was a pile of garbage, which included in a broken and quite damp looking Vanity, there were other kinds of trash, picture frames and an assortment of moth-eaten clothing.

“This is it.” Mrs. Weasley said and took a deep breath, she looked around for other muggles watching or possibly snooping magical folk but found none. (thanks to Harry’s spell of course.)

She took out her wand, and made a complicated and lengthy spell motion, when she finish with a tight flourish down, an invisible shield opened up to let them inside.

Harry was about to finite his own spell but Sidra hissed for him to stop.

_Add your spell to the wards. It will solidify your ownership and protect the property._

Harry nodded and closed his eyes for a moment, visualizing the ‘cloud’ draping over the wards. He pushed his hands forward and the magic went with it, layering over the protections and seeping into it. Something snapped into place in the back of his mind and Harry yelped in surprise.

“Harry? What is it?” Mrs. Weasley cried coming over and steadying him. Harry shook his head and covered one of his eyes pressing the palm into the socket.

“Just a headache, probably the weather. I’ll be okay.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she snapped back to attention, looking around again. “We better get inside. Who knows who’s out and about? Come along dears, I’ll make us all tea.”

Everyone headed into the apartment, Harry walking behind them. It seemed that the hallway they were walking into was long and dark, like there wasn’t many light sources to make it brighter, or something was soaking up the light too fast for it to properly light the area.

Harry went to close the door behind him, unfortunately the door by itself made a slamming noise and everyone in front of him whirled around. He wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about, that is, until he heard the screaming.

“TRAITORS!” A woman screamed with vitriol, “MUDBLOODS AND BLOODTRAITORS IN MY OWN HOME. AS THE MATRIARCH OF THE BLACK FAMILY I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS DISGRACEFUL- DIGUSTING- CURSE YOU ALL FOR DESICRATING-“

Harry glared at her, and stood in front of her, waiting. She continued her screaming, and he held up a hand when Ron came up to try and get the cloth back around her.

Harry sighed when at least two minutes passed and she didn’t stop, and Harry rubbed his forehead and pulled out his rings, and he pressed them close to her eyes for her to see, startled she stopped her wailing and looked at the rings. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose.

“And why, exactly, is a Patriarch for the potter and _Gaunt_ family doing in my home.”

Oh she is not going to like this, “I was told by the Goblins I’ve inherited the Black family ring.”

“WHAT?” She screeched, “IF YOU THINK YOU CAN PRY THE RING FROM MY HOME-“

But before she could finish there was a shout of a spell and the curtains were closed, muffling her screeching, and wailing.

“Sorry about _Mother dearest_.” Came a _very_ familiar sarcastic gruff voice, “Somehow she’s even more annoying dead than she was breathing.”

Harry whirled around with a giant grin on his face, “SIRIUS!” He cried and pushed past the others in the hall to allow himself to be swept up in a hug.

“Pronsglet!” Sirius greeted and he released Harry with a hair ruffle, “How’s been my MIA godson?”

“I’ve been great! I’ll tell you all about it upstairs.”

Sirius grinned, “Can’t wait to hear them!”

“SIRIUS.” Scolded Molly, “You know we have important business! The wards need to be strengthened-“

“I know Molly, but I need to get Harry something _important_ I think I might know why the Fide-“

Molly shooshed and shushed, “That is _business_ and we do not discuss _business_ around the _children!”_ Sirius rose both eyebrows and set his jaw.

“Say that again. Say that again after all my godson has done and been through I dare you-“ Harry shoved his way in between the two of them.

“Stop it right now! _I_ know why this place doesn’t have the fidelius on it anymore.”

The hall went silent, and Harry looked everyone in the eye and he took a deep breath.

“It isn’t a secret anyway- What I told the painting is true. I’m here for the Black family ring! I own this place and in order for the ownership to be passed to me I had to get that stupid charm off of it in order to claim-“

Molly made a choking sound and Sirius nodded crossing his arms pointing his chin up “You see? Now let me get him what he’s come for and we can _include_ him on the business and get it done proper quickly.”

Molly sighed, “Fine, but don’t dally.”

Sirius and Harry both headed upstairs and Molly guided Hermione and Ron into the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point in the story, I have a VERY good idea of where it's going and how it's going to end, so I hope you all stick around to see it! Let me hear your thoughts in the comment section. It can be long, short, or just made up of emojis! Seeing them really makes my day!


	6. Wizards Oaths and Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Sirius catch up, and some spells are cast for saftey's sake. Sidra is also a very sassy snake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I've got another chapter! Hope you all enjoy! :D

Chapter Six

Harry wrinkled his nose at the smell and looked around and felt his lunch fight back. Lining the walls of the stairs leading up to the second level was plaque after plaque of heads, and there were _dates_ under them.

“Yeah, not the prettiest of sights. The black family made it a point of either honor or fear for our elves. The longer the life the more ‘status’ they had. When the blacks had multiple elves this was used as a manner of…motivation. Don’t disappoint us and you’ll live longer than some. If you notice, the longer-lived elves are marked with gold, the shorter ones with black, and average with bronze. As soon as we’re done cleaning up the room _this_ atrocity is going to be incinerated.”

Harry hummed and swallowed back the bile. There was a wailing growling sound when they got to the top of the stairs and Sirius sighed.

“What is it _now_ Kreature?” Sirius shouted at possibly the oldest thing Harry had ever seen. He was wearing a thin flour sack, there were hanging stretches of skin coming off his bones and one of his ears looked like someone had constantly used it for stabbing practice.

Which was probably the case.

“Madame Black adored the brackled yew vanity, and it is GONE from her room!” The greying elf wailed and Sirius sighed.

“For the last time it was molding, the mirror was cursed and removed before she was born, and she is _DEAD_ she has a perfectly acceptable recreation of that damn thing in her painting! SHE ISN’T GOING TO MISS IT!” He shouted and the elf looked sourly back at Sirius.

“The traitor son should not even be _back_ …” Kreature muttered and slinked away. Sirius sighed.

“I’m sorry about that. Kreature was difficult even when he was 20 years younger.”

“It’s fine.” Harry said, “Is he talking about the Vanity in the yard out front?”

“Dark, falling apart, and smells of death? Yeah.” Sirius stopped in front of a door, it looked no different from any other door, minus the worn keyhole on the door handle. Sirius grinned at Harry, “This room, thankfully in good condition, is my room.”

He swung it open and revealed a room swathed in…stolen Hogwarts curtains and blankets? Harry turned to Sirius with the quiet question and he laughed, throwing his head back.

“Yeah! I’m not sorry. Got to prank Frank really good on the final night of third year, and Mother was _steaming_ when I unpacked my trunk!”

Harry grinned, “Who’s Frank?”

“Oh right uh, what’s his kid’s name? He’s the dad of uh- Nick, Niel-“

“Neville?” Harry gasped and Sirius snapped his fingers and nodded his head.

“Yeah! Him, he was our year at school with me and the other lot. He was always claiming we never included him in anything like pranks so…” Sirius shrugged and had a lofty chuckle, walking over to his desk, “Let’s just say Frank never complained after that.”

Harry chuckles, “I’ll have to check in with Neville and see if his dad remembers. Hey- maybe if his dad is like, not a ministry crony we could arrange for you two to meet-“

“Ah, not really possible.” Sirius said with a sigh, rifling around in different drawers, “The war… it wasn’t kind. It took your parents, and it also took Neville’s.” He laughed, but it wasn’t a kind laugh as he knelt down, to open the bottom drawers of his desk, “Remus was the one who had to tell me, of course, and I sometimes wonder who has it worse. AH, there.” Sirius stood up and showed off the ring. “Here we are! The black family sigil ring. Sorry, it might stink of an unwashed house elf. Kreature had it uh…safeguarded amongst his things.”

The ring itself was made from some kind of black metal, and Harry honestly was having difficulty trying to make out what the family coat of arms looked like, but he definitely could make out a skull and… birds?

“I know a family crest is supposed to represent the family in some way but…”

“You can’t see a damn thing?” Sirius supplied and sat in the chair by his desk, “Yeah. Don’t worry there a much bigger version of the crest in the ‘family room’ a skull, some stars, an arm holding a saber…bird of some sort. All pretentious if you ask me.”

Harry nodded and slid it onto his right hand, placing it on his pinky. The ring pulsed with magic and settled down. Sirius gave an audible sigh.

“It accepts you as the head of the Black family. If it hadn’t it would’ve thrown itself across the room. The one thing you’ll learn about the Blacks is that we’re pretentious and tradition is more important than sense, the good thing is that most of the family is now driving the afterlife insane.”

He didn’t look entirely happy about that, “Do you feel that way about your brother? According to the Goblin he left everything to you if anything happened to him.”

Sirius bowed his head, staring at the floor, “Regulus, my little brother, was constantly trying to please Mother. I did everything I could to protect him from her ire, but he always wanted her to be proud. That led him down a _really_ dark path. But that’s the past!” Sirius waved away his solemn demeanor being covered up by enthusiasm. “Tell me everything about those muggles and how you got away from them. You gave Molly a good fright, no tracking spell we used could find you, you know! Even actively tracking Hedwig was useless.”

Harry smiled and sat on the bed. “It’s not that complicated. Dementors attacked me n’ Dudley, the Dursley’s freaked out and kicked me out of the house. I had…a friend who showed me a place I could stay. Old, well-protected. Dobby helped me get access to food. It’s in the middle of a forest so it’s very peaceful. Oh, and I have chickens. So it’s not like I never not have something to do.”

Sirius grinned, “Sounds like a dream. A nice clean bright place to take care of chickens! You deserve something nice after all the shit you’ve been through.”

Harry smiled in return, thankful that Sirius was glad he had a place. He was worried he was going to say something about ‘dangerous times’ and ‘blood wards’ it was honestly so much better.

“Damn! What I would give to get away from this place.” Sirius professed, “I hate this place. It’s cramped, dark, and damp. So _so_ many bad memories in here and having my old Hag’s painting _stuck_ on that wall to reinforce all that damage is fucking insane.” He lamented, but it wasn’t very loud. It was depressed and resigned.

Harry smiled wryly, “The place I have isn’t without its own ghosts, well, metaphorically. The owner of the house had a painting of himself set up. He isn’t loud or particularly harsh. He’s actually quite…nice. If not for him I would still be wearing oversized rags.”

Sirius rose his eyebrows and looked Harry up and down and his head tilted with his eyebrows raised like he was actually seeing _Harry_ for the first time. “Sounds like a hell of a guy. But doesn’t he have children or something to give clothes to?”

“Uh… no, not really.”

“Too bad.”

Harry shifted on the bed, fingering his pocket, “But I know why.”

“Hm?”

“I know why he doesn’t have any kids, well, direct kids.”

Sirius grins, “Oh? Wizard gossip?”

Harry chuckled and pulled his other two rings, “The Potter ring isn’t the only thing I got from the Goblins. I have a grandmother going back a few lines who married _into_ the Potter family. Through her, I got the Gaunt Ring. The wards protecting the house let me in on the president of me being family member and heir to the house and its assets.”

Sirius blinked a couple of times his mouth a little slack, but eventually, it got through and he nodded and let out an impressed chuckle, “Sounds like you’ve been _busy_ oh lord of three houses. That’s a lot of responsibility for a fifteen-year-old.”

Harry groaned and shoved the rings back, “I don’t wanna know.”

Sirius, again, motioned for him not to worry, “Honestly, it’s nothing important. You might get some invitations for galas and balls and charities but it’s not like the old days where you had to collect taxes and build orphanages after a war.”

Harry hummed and Sidra crawled into his lap, coiling herself, her weight tangible her visibility none.

“I’ll ask Adafrid about it when I get back to the mansion.”

Sirius nodded again and they sat in silence, allowing the company of each other to solidify.

“Hey,” Sirius asked after just a minute or two, “You think I could pop over and feed the chickens some time? Much better than babysitting Turkish pixies.”

Sidra moved in Harry’s lap.

“I mean, I don’t see why not-“

Sidra’s warry posture turned to defensive and she melted back into view.

_Don’t give away our home so easily Harry!_

Harry frowned in confusion, “ _But I’m not, I was inviting him. And he’s my godfather! He wouldn’t tell anyone else.”_

Sidra did not look convinced and Sirius made a choking sound from across the room. Harry looked over and Sirius looked pale.

_Has he never seen a snake before?_ Sidra asked relaxing and crawling up Harry’s arm. _Or, perhaps he has never seen a speaker?_

“Uh, Harry-“

“It’s okay Sirius. She’s a friend.”

_Your familiar._ Sidra corrected, nudging her nose on Harry’s cheek and the light sensation tickled. He laughed and stroked a hand down her back.

“Fine, Familiar. This is Sidra, my familiar. A powerful, magical, snake.”

Sirius nodded, and he took a breath to speak. The words caught in his throat and he looked from Harry to Sidra and back again and he rubbed his face.

“Why not? Right then. I’m guessing the snake has some issues with you inviting me?”

_He will give away our home! It is private and protected and must be left alone._ Sidra demanded and Harry raised his eyebrows at her.

“ _Is there a way to make him promise not to ‘give away’ the privacy of our Home?”_ Harry asked, patiently waiting as she thought.

_“He must make a wizard's oath to not tell without permission!”_ She decided.

Harry sighed, another magical thing he didn’t know about, “She says she wants you to make a wizards Oath. I don’t know what that is.”

“Impressive. I didn’t know that snakes knew about wizard’s oaths.”

_I am no ordinary snake._ Sidra postures.

Harry rolled his eyes, “Her humbleness knows no bounds. But what _is_ a wizard’s oath?”

Sirius grunted and hummed, “An oath is like an unbreakable vow, but less deadly.” Well, _that_ just clears up everything.

“What’s an unbreakable vow?” Harry asked drawing on his quickly emptying well of patience.

“Wow,” Sirius exclaimed from his side of the room, “Do they not teach you _anything_ at Hogwarts anymore?”

“They don’t exactly teach wizarding culture or etiquette.”

Which was mostly the problem. He would be having a much easier time navigating the wizarding world if there had been _any_ material discussing any of these details. It almost felt like one fool wrote the bare bones of the culture and didn’t think that maybe, just maybe, making a system to teach him how the culture works his life might be a little easier. But no, he had to play the dumb kid trying to figure life out through trial and error. And if he died? Who cares! At least it would be _entertaining_ to those laughing at him for not understanding his miss-steps. His life was basically the punchline to a terrible joke.

“Right.” Sirius interrupted Harry’s train of thought, “An Unbreakable Vow is making a promise. Like killing an enemy or protecting an ally…keeping a secret. If you break that vow, you die. So, let’s say I made a vow to you to keep a secret, if I broke that vow- I would die. Hey- I know that look let me continue.

An oath, on the other hand, is less deadly. You state the stakes. I don’t keep your secret and I lose my voice, my sight, a sum of galleons, the rights to my firstborn. That sort of stuff.”

Sidra look at Sirius with a more curious expression and seemed more than a little impressed.

_He’s not as much of a dummy as I thought._

Harry snorted, Sirius, tilts his head, “So what did this little viper want to do for stakes as the wizard's oath?”

Sidra thinks for a moment. _If he breaks his oath, he is to kill the person he says it to. Even the hatchlings._

Harry is not amused, _“No. We’re not_ killing _anyone.”_

Sidra huffed. _Fine. If a word comes out about where Harry is staying if the name of Adafrid’s home is spoken or even Arundel castle- he is to forget. Forget the Secret, forget that you told it to him._

_“That…is more acceptable._ ” Harry turns to Sirius, “She wants to ensure my safety as well as the safety of her previous companion. If you give away the location of where I’m saying, you’ll forget before you even finish saying it.”

“And what if I point it out on a map?”

That was a good point.

_Smart wizard not-speaker. I like him more and more._

Harry and Sirius hashed out further details and eventually, they came to a good ‘contract’ for the oath.

“Alright, this might take the wind out of me without a wand, but here goes nothing.” Sirius took a breath and recited a spell, it was in Latin and it wasn’t very long, but he made a circle with his pointer finger and created a ring of light just below his chest.

Sirius nodded to Harry to continue and Harry took a deep breath.

“Do you accept the oath of keeping the secret I have confided in you?”

“I, Sirius Black, solemnly swear to keep the secret you have given. I swear to never divulge the name of the location you have shared with me to others without magical permission. I will not divulge the location via word of mouth, written letter, pensive memory, or placing it on a map. If I break this oath, willingly or through coercion all memory I have will of this secret fade into nothingness. Do you accept my word?”

“I accept your word Sirius black.” Harry looked at the white ring and put his hand into it, and Sirius took his hand and shook, the wring expanded for a moment and split into two, wrapping one half around Harry’s wrist and a half around Sirius’s and then disappeared.

“The oath is complete,” Sirius said with a smile, but the bags under his eyes looked a little deeper.

“Let’s go get you something to eat.”

Sirius smiled, “Maybe next time I should just swallow my pride and use my dad’s wand.”

“You think the wand would accept you?”

Sirius shrugged as they walked back down the stairs, there was chattering in the kitchen area as they walked in and when they opened the door Molly Arthur and Remus were talking over a contract of some sort. Ron and Hermione were talking over some biscuits and tea Sirius popped over and grabbed a handful of the biscuits. And spun his way over to the icebox and reached and pulled out a beer.

“You were up there for a while, what were you talking about?” Hermione asked and Harry sat down next to her, across from Ron, he grabbed a chocolate biscuit to nibble on.

“I was asking him about high society wizard stuff. I got magically emancipated by the tournament and now I have all sort of responsibilities connected with the family rings.”

Ron nodded and swallowed his own mouthful of food, “Bill won’t get the family ring till Dad’s ready to step away from that stuff. It can be more than a little annoying with all the politics. When you become of age in 7th year you can start going to meetings n’ stuff to vote on laws.”

“Wait.” Hermione interjected, “What’s all this ‘magically emancipated’ and ‘become of age’ aren’t those the same?”

Ron shook his head, “Being magically emancipated just allows you access to bank stuff like property or money in the bank. It allows orphans of magical families to support themselves and get _used_ to their position. When they turn 17 the law recognizes their position as an adult. There was a whole thing that happened a couple of centuries ago with an old blood family was like, a 12-year-old tried to vote for something and it causes d a lot of trouble.”

This information didn’t comfort Hermione, “I don’t understand did we learn this in history? Did I miss this information?”

Ron laughed, “Nah, they don’t teach it in History. Mum likes to gossip with her friends and discuss stuff with Bill about ‘all he needs to know’ and never really know when I’m listening in. I pick up on stuff too.”

“Huh.” She mumbled and reached for another cookie, “How much power exactly do these old families have?”

Ron shrugged, “They vote on laws. There are other newer families allowed to weigh in as well. I don’t really know how it works. I’m not really in a position to where it matters.”

Hermione looked like she wanted to say something more, but Remus approached, “Harry, we need to talk to you about the Fidelus. Hermione, Ron, can you two go upstairs, please? This shouldn’t take long.”

Both nodded and headed out.

Remus waited a moment and then cast a privacy spell.

“Do you know how this is going to work?”

Harry shook his head.

“Molly right now is working on the Arithmancy circle. Now, ideally, we would use the same secret keeper to add a little short cut but Dumbledore hasn’t responded to any of our ways to contact him and we have to fix this as soon as we can. So, since you’re the owner of Grimmauld now. You must choose who you want the secret keeper to be.”

So, Dumbledore was the secret keeper of this place before. Harry felt a spike of animosity towards yet another secret, but he pushed it back. He had to think about the now.

“I choose Molly.” Molly looked up from her place on the floor her hand paused in drawing the circle.

“Are you sure Harry?”

Harry nodded, “You’ve helped me a lot. I have faith this is something you can handle, but I would like you to make a wizard's oath to not divulge the location without my permission.” 

Sirius turned to Harry with a proud smile, “Just learned about Oath and already you’re thinking out of the box!”

“Learning from past mistakes.” Harry corrected softly, “I don’t want what happened to me and my parents to happen ever again.”

“Understandable.” Molly said, “Let’s parse out the oath then.”

They discussed the details and how the Fidelus was going to work, and really It was all simple. They stood inside the circle, and they each recited their part of the spell, and a circle started to glow, and then when each of them finished their part of the spell, Molly would cast a deosil circle to symbolize and activate sun magic to protect the house from view, and since Harry was stronger with the moon so he cast widdershins to invoke the moon and use the rays of the moon to cast a ‘shadow’ upon the house to conceal it from prying eyes.

The circles stayed in the air, a circle of white light and a circle of yellow light coming together in the center wrapping around each other and then dropping into the arithmancy circle on the floor. The circle then glowed and began to separate spreading to protect various parts of the home.

When that was done, Harry felt super thirsty. His legs also felt a little gummy but they had to finish the oath first.

Thankfully Molly drew the circle for herself reciting the same spell that Sirius had spoken earlier.

It was the same format as the one Sirius had spoken. Minus the name, she gave her own name and Harry accepted her oath, and they completed everything. Molly didn’t look nearly as exhausted as Harry felt. He wanted to go to bed and not get out for at least 12 hours.

“Now. I think it’s time for supper.” Molly said and started waving her wand around pots and pans flying about and the stove popping on.

“I think a hardy stew should do it, no?” She said to no one in particular and Harry smiled. He could stay for another hour or so, to rest up a little and get his fill of stew. Then he could go home and sleep, and he had to prepare Adafrid for their guest in a couple of days, because he was _definitely_ inviting Sirius over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo did it bother anyone else how they would mention certain spells and then wouldn't explain how they worked like with the fidellus? Or how it seemed that the Unbreakable Vow was just plum...ineffective? So- I expanded on two other concepts!  
> I would really like to hear your thoughts down in the comments long, short, or just full of emojis it all makes my day that much brighter! See you all in the next one! :D

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you've enjoyed reading so far!! I'm so excited about this story I have lots of juicy plans! Let me know your thought below! Short, Long, or a string of emoji's do what makes you comfortable! See you all next time! :D


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